Tea of Fate
by AnimeOtaku4444
Summary: Iruka discovers his feelings for Kakashi the hard way, and it just might cost him everything he ever held dear. He wants to blame Naruto for leaving that dangerous tea unattended, but with Sasuke giving him the cold shoulder, the poor boy has enough troubles of his own. Tsunade's job has never been tougher. Pairings: Iruka x Kakashi, Naruto x Sasuke. Warnings: YAOI, MPREG
1. The Dangers of Drinking

His head pounded to the beat of the music, and Iruka wondered why he'd come here in the first place. Oh yes, Naruto. The young man had seemed depressed about something lately. Even Sasuke hadn't been able to cheer him up, so Iruka had decided to invite him to this party. He hadn't realized it would turn into a booze-fest with music loud enough to wake the dead. Perhaps he should have. It was Kiba's Bachelor Party after all. Iruka groaned as pain shot through his skull for the hundredth time, and downed another shot to numb his headache. He'd just about made up his mind to leave when a man sat down next to him, to his left.

Iruka didn't know what it was about the mysterious Jounin, but lately just seeing that man was enough to make his legs feel a little unsteady, set his heart racing, and put a fluttering in his stomach. He had no clue what all of those feelings were supposed to mean, but they'd been getting worse with each passing month. For years the two of them had been regularly spending time together, mostly going to Ichiraku Ramen, or sometimes just walking around the village together. Kakashi loved saying things to make him blush, which Iruka had to admit he found both annoying and mildly enjoyable.

It was almost like having an older brother. A highly perverted older brother. Pranking Kakashi for revenge had only served to increase the sense of bonding, not to mention Iruka found it highly entertaining. It had been YEARS since he'd faced such a challenge for his gifts, and knowing that he'd gotten THE Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan was always deeply satisfying. At first they'd met up so Iruka could keep informed about Naruto, his favourite student. Somewhere along the line though, that had changed.

They'd started talking about themselves, their pasts, their secrets, and a million other little things which they'd never really talked about with anyone else. It was almost like they were dating or something. Just the thought was enough to make Iruka blush. That didn't make him gay, did it? Maybe he was bi… Then again, that might explain why he'd never really been interested in any of the women he'd spent time with before. Luckily, when Kakashi put his hand on Iruka's shoulder, he was too drunk to flinch in surprise. "Ooooooooooooi, Earth to Iruka-sensei… Jeez, are you that drunk already? You're such a light-weight, Umino. Want me to take you home?"

Iruka blushed horribly, hoped to hell that Kakashi would mistake the redness of his face as being caused by the alcohol, and nodded a little. The motion made his head hurt again. Kakashi chuckled at Iruka's grimace, before standing up and helping the slightly shorter man off his stool. He put his right arm around Iruka's waist, and pulled Iruka's left arm around his shoulders, and the two men walked out of the bar, Kakashi supporting Iruka each time the man stumbled a little.

**(I am a page break, fear me)**

Iruka woke up slowly. His head was throbbing, his throat was on fire, he was nauseous as all hell, and his lower back was pure agony. What the hell had he done to it? It wasn't really his back though, it was more like… his ass? But why would his ass be so sore? Just then, his pillow MOVED. His WARM, MUSCULAR pillow. HOLY SHIT! Iruka shot up, and looked at the person he'd been lying half on top of. His face was mostly covered by the sheets, but distinctive silver, spiky hair lay spilled across the pillow.

'KAKASHI? Oh shit oh shit oh shit… What the hell happened last night? I remember the party, and lots of drinking, then… staggering home with the help of Kakashi, then… Crap, what happened then? I don't remember a thing. What the hell did we do? Why are we both naked? And if my ass hurts, that has to mean we… OH SHIT! Just how drunk did I get last night?'

Kakashi moaned, still mostly asleep, and reached out to pull the other body back against him. His chest was getting cold. Then, something in his brain registered that he wasn't alone in his bed. His mattress felt different too. Wait, was this actually his bed? He cautiously opened his good eye, and looked at the face of the man who was awkwardly trying not to be pulled against him, and blushing madly. His other eye shot open in surprise, his Sharingan spinning with emotion, and the sudden heavy chakra use made his head spin. Dammit! It had been YEARS since he'd last done that… Accidentally using his Sharingan unexpectedly always left him feeling dizzy and a little nauseous.

He quickly closed both eyes again, and held a hand over his scar. Crap! Did he really just see…? "Iruka, please tell me that isn't really you. Tell me this is just a dream, and I'm going to wake up any second." He realized that his arms, and one of his legs, were still wrapped around the tan, naked man, and quickly released him and scrambled back against the headboard, blushing even brighter than poor Iruka was. It stood out more on his pale skin.

A hand flew instinctively to cover his mouth and nose, while the other hand tried to hide his chin and most of his jaw-line. Oh crap, he wasn't wearing his mask, and now the sheet wasn't covering his mouth… Iruka could've seen his whole face! Nobody had seen that much in decades! It took him a few moments more to remember which of them had removed his mask, and what their reasons had been, before he relaxed back against the headboard, and tentatively dropped his hands into his lap.

Iruka scrambled back too, to the foot of the bed. Kakashi needn't have worried about him seeing his face, because right then he couldn't look the Jounin in the eyes. He was absolutely mortified! "Sorry Kakashi, this isn't a dream. I guess we both got really drunk last night. I don't remember most of it, but from the pain I'm feeling, it seems we didn't just pass out together. I think we… well… you know…" Kakashi grimaced, and looked away. "I'm really sorry, Iruka. Did I hurt you? There's blood on the sheets… and on me… I don't think I used any lube…" Iruka's blush spread to his ears and neck. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die.

He inspected the pale green sheets himself, and sure enough he spotted a fair amount of blood, as well as several suspicious white stains. He just blushed even redder, and chewed his tongue. Kakashi looked down at himself, and realized that Iruka wasn't the only one who'd be in pain for the next few days. He must've been really rough with the poor man. "Shit, I've really done it, haven't I? Iruka, would you like me to take you to the hospital? I might have injured you." Iruka shook his head frantically. "NO! HELL NO! Absolutely not! No hospital! I'll just take a couple of sick days off from work. I'll be fine, really. I think it would be best if we pretended this never happened."

Kakashi frowned a little. He didn't know what he'd been expecting but… It felt like he'd just been rejected. That was ridiculous, wasn't it? "Okay, but I'm going to leave Pakkun with you, and I'll stop by later with some painkillers. If you keep bleeding, or the pain gets to be too much, send Pakkun to me, and I'll get a hold of a friend of mine. I've met a few very discrete medic-nins over the years. We have a deal?" Iruka just nodded, still blushing, and still unable to look his friend in the eye.

"Iruka… please look at me…" The Chuunin gulped, but he slowly brought his eyes up to meet Kakashi's. That was when he realised that he was looking at the man's whole face. His eyes flew wide, and his breath caught in his throat, as the pale man's beauty flooded his senses. He had an aristocratic jaw, delicate but strong. His nose was straight, and almost a tiny bit small in proportion to his face. His mouth was a little wide, like it had been made for lusty leers and mischievous smirks. It suited him perfectly.

There was a tiny, barely noticeable silver scar on his bottom lip, almost at its left edge, running vertically from top to bottom. Iruka had a sudden desire to lick the little scar and make it better. 'GYAH! Where did that come from?' He quickly shook his head to clear his mind of the unexpected mental images, and returned his gaze to Kakashi's eyes. Well, one of them anyway. He still kept his left eye closed.

Kakashi smiled, but there was a bit of sadness to it, and regret lingered in his eye. "Iruka, I hope you can forgive me someday. I'd really hate it if I couldn't be friends with you anymore." That got Iruka's attention. "Kakashi! Of course I still want to be friends! You're the best friend I've ever had, you're like a brother to me! We just have to forget this ever happened, okay? It shouldn't be too difficult since we can't remember last night anyway. Don't beat yourself up about this, okay?

It was just… an accident. Yes, just an accident. Accidents happen, right? It's fine now. You should go, you're probably late for something. Just do me a favour, and send a note to the Ninja Academy for me? I have to let them know I won't be coming in for the rest of the week." Kakashi nodded, and got up from the bed. Iruka watched him leave, and frowned when a small, dull ache settled into his chest. Why did he feel cold all of a sudden? It must have been his imagination.


	2. Like a Brother

It took a bit of hunting, but eventually Kakashi found his clothes littering the living room. When he was dressed, he took one last look around the room, groaned, and ran a hand through his unruly silver hair. Iruka might have forgotten, but Kakashi remembered EVERYTHING. The moment they'd got in the door, Iruka had pounced on him, pinning him against the wall next to the door. He may have been the shorter of the two, and the less fit of the two as a teacher rather than a mission-taker, but the Chuunin was surprisingly strong.

Kakashi could have fought him off if he'd really wanted to. He might even have been able to do it without hurting Iruka. He could've, but… If he was honest with himself, the truth was that he hadn't wanted to. He'd had feelings for Iruka for the last couple of years, but he'd never thought the younger man would ever feel the same way about him. What had really floored him had been the way Iruka had treated his mask. By the way he flicked the tip of his tongue against the smooth fabric, and gently nipped his chin through the cloth; Kakashi could tell that he wanted him to take his mask off.

The thing was, the slightly shorter man never tried to pull it off himself, and he didn't verbally ask Kakashi to remove it. Even as he'd mauled his pale friend, he'd left the decision of whether or not to remove his mask completely up to him. Kakashi had tried having meaningless lays in the past, and not one of them had ever shown him such consideration. They'd all fought to remove his mask, and he'd never once let any of them do it. He'd screwed them without ever letting them see his face.

The realisation had stirred something deep within the scarecrow's chest, something so much stronger than lust, so much more delicate and beautiful. In an instant, he'd fallen head-over-heels in love with the Chuunin. Within seconds his mask and his hitai-ate had been tossed to the floor, and Kakashi had been shoving his tongue half down Iruka's throat as he eagerly moaned his approval.

Iruka was as much a puzzle as the infamous Copy Nin. He was kind and patient with his students. He was even compassionate enough to overcome his fears of the Kyuubi and embrace Naruto, when almost everyone else in the village saw him only as a monster. Yet the Chuunin could be stern and scary enough to keep the Jounins in line when trying to hand in their sorry excuses for Mission Reports.

He was a cunning ex-prankster with a gift for traps and sneaky jutsus, trick explosion tags, and unusual poisons. Kakashi had been on the receiving end of those talents after pushing Iruka's buttons a bit too much the previous year in his quest to make the man blush. Yet, talented as he was, the man had chosen to become an Academy sensei for pre-Genins instead of becoming the able Jounin which Kakashi was certain he was capable of being.

He'd enjoyed every second of that night. He regretted being so rough with the guy, especially since he was obviously a virgin uke, but it wasn't often that he let himself lose control and just go wild, and seeing the reckless abandon on Iruka's lustful face had brought out that side of him with a vengeance. Hell, the Chuunin had outright DEMANDED (in a voice slurred enough to make Kakashi wince, but not intelligible enough to make him stop responding to the man's advances) that Kakashi take him right then and there against the wall. And then again on the bed… TWICE. Even he, an ex-ANBU, had barely been able to keep up with the feisty Chuunin.

Much more than that, every time they'd slowed down a little to catch their breaths, Iruka's touches had turned from demanding strokes and tugs to gentle, soothing caresses. He'd covered his face with feather-light kisses. The Jounin had never felt more precious to anybody in his entire life. The swell of feelings that had been dragged from the deepest recesses of his heart had flooded his senses, and, terrifying though it was, he'd loved every moment of it.

The feeling of Iruka's tan hands on his body, of his lips against his neck… The sounds of his breathy moans and lustful growls… The way the man had practically ripped his clothes off, and the burning heat he'd felt, pounding into the man's tight entrance… The memories alone were enough to get him hard again. But, Iruka wanted to pretend it never happened, and go back to being friends. Shit. Where the hell did that leave him? He remembered Iruka's words, '…you're like a brother to me!', and winced at the dull ache which gave a low throb in his chest.

**(I am a page break, guess what I do)**

Iruka swung his legs over the side of his bed, and gingerly tried to stand, but he fell back on the bed with a pained gasp. He lay there for a minute, whimpering and clutching his lower back as agony stabbed through it. Pakkun snickered at him. The pug had watched his feeble attempt from where he sat on the floor. "Heheheh… That Kakashi really made a mess of you, didn't he?" Iruka glared death at the small dog. "Does he do this often? If that's the case I'm going to kill him for not warning me."

Pakkun gave him an unreadable look. "Actually, I don't think he's let loose like this in years. You might be interested in knowing that this is the first time he's asked me to babysit one of his lays the next day. I don't know what it is, but he must think there's something different about you. I just hope that's a good thing." Iruka turned his head away and frowned at the wall. He decided to ignore the comment for the time being. There'd be time to consider those strange words later. "If you have time to laugh at my pain, then you have time to go to my kitchen and get an icepack from the freezer."

Pakkun snorted, and replied in his gruff voice. "I'm here to make sure you don't bleed to death, or try to walk, fall, and crack your head open on the furniture. I'm not here to play nursemaid. If that's what you want, make a Shadow Clone." Iruka groaned his frustration into his pillow. "I'm not Naruto, or a Jounin like that damn Kakashi. I can't make Shadow Clones." Pakkun grinned wider, but with a sigh he stood up and headed for the door. "Fine. If it'll get me out of this room, I'll go. You need to change the sheets and take a shower. It stinks of blood and sex in here."

Iruka grimaced and scrunched up his face in disgust. He wanted to do as the dog had suggested, but just then moving was an issue. Then again, maybe a good long soak in some steaming bath-water would help his back. If he remembered correctly, he still had some medicinal herbs he could add to the water somewhere in the cabinets under his sink… He crawled out of bed onto the floor with great difficulty and a string of curses. By the time Pakkun got back with his ice-pack, Iruka had the water running, and was half inside his cabinet digging for the little bottle of bath-herbs.

Pakkun dumped the pack on the floor beside him, before leaving the room. When Iruka watched him leave, he called over his shoulder. "Visiting the Onsen with my master is one thing, but if I have to watch you take a bath too, I'll have seen one naked human too many." Iruka pulled a face at the dog, before clumsily climbing into the tub. He held the ice-pack on his head to tame his raging headache, while the herb-enhanced steaming water worked its magic on his aching lower back and ass.

Lying in the water gave him time to think. Had he made the right decision? Did he really want to pretend he hadn't slept with Kakashi? Why had he done it in the first place? Was he really that drunk? He'd gotten similarly plastered on a handful of occasions in the past, but he'd never woken up next to anyone before, let alone with a sore ass. What had made this time different? Was it because Kakashi had helped him get home? Other people had done that for him in the past. Was it because he had feelings for Kakashi?

He vaguely remembered leaning against the wall next to his door, outside his apartment. Kakashi had patted down his pockets for his apartment key before fetching out of a pocket on his vest and opening his door for him. The feeling of Kakashi's big warm hands on his clothes had made him blush to his ears, but the Jounin probably just thought it was the alcohol making him so red. A thought had drifted lazily through his mind…

'I'd probably die of embarrassment if I had to confess my feelings to him… Yeah, I'd definitely blush to death… All that blood rushing to my head would probably make it explode… Guess I'll just have to show him then…' That was the last memory he had before waking up that morning. Oh hell… He'd attacked Kakashi in a drunken attempt at CONFESSING? It was worse than he'd thought… 'Like a brother, huh? Riiiiiiight…'

By the time his bath was over, his pain had been reduced to a dull throb. He got dressed in some sweats, made some instant ramen, changed his sheets, burned the ruined ones with relish, and went to bed early. The next time he woke, Pakkun was gone. There was just a note on his nightstand. 'It looks like you'll live.' It was signed with a small paw print. Iruka scrunched up the scrap of paper and tossed it in his little trash bin.


	3. Thanks For The Memories

This chapter includes content written by my best friend, Midnite OniHime. She's the yaoi-fairy for this story, so please be nice to her. Can you guess which part of this chapter she wrote? I'll send the next chapter early to anyone who gets it right. :-D

A . b . C . d . E . f . G . h . I . j . K . l . M . n . O . p . Q . r . S . t . U . v . W . x . Y . z

A week later, Umino Iruka shot up in bed, panting hard, his whole body flushed and trembling. He cursed as he realized that he'd once again ruined his sheets with a sticky mess. These wet dreams were going to be the death of him, he was absolutely certain of it. 'Like a brother to me'? Who the fuck was he trying to kid? He wasn't sure how many of them were memories of his drunken night surfacing in his brain, and how many were new fantasies entirely, but every single blasted night since he'd slept with Kakashi, he'd been plagued by dreams which left him with dirty sheets, and in desperate need for a shower. His water bill was going to be sky high that month.

This latest one had been a real kicker. Hot, steamy shower sex with a dripping, naked, mask-less Kakashi… He'd cum three times before he woke up. It still felt as though his blood was on fire. His tongue tingled with the memories of licking the water off of the Jounin's lean, toned abs and chest. He had no idea how he'd imagined half of the things Kakashi had done when he was blowing him, since he'd never had anyone do those things to him in real life before, and he didn't read porn, but hell… Nobody had ever gotten him that hard that quickly before. For a second there, he'd thought his dick was going to explode into a million tiny pieces, and it had felt so good he didn't even care if it did.

Those dreams were driving him crazy, but he didn't know what to do. What could he possibly do to make them go away? He had crazy thoughts about confessing to Kakashi and asking him out, but such thoughts just left him laughing in a slightly maniacal and hysterical fashion which thoroughly creeped out the other Chuunins in the Missions Room. Even the Jounins which were passing through each time he happened to go into a fit of crazed laughing would flinch and back away. He was an absolute mess, and he knew it.

Him, confess to Kakashi? He loved the man, he was honest enough to admit it to himself, and the Jounin was an excellent friend. But he was so far beneath the silver-haired demi-god, that their friendship alone was something of a miracle to him. Every time Kakashi got caught in one of his traps, he had to wonder whether the Jounin had done it on purpose or not, just to give him a little ego boost. It wasn't even funny. What the hell would a superhuman shinobi like Hatake Kakashi want with little Chuunin schoolteacher Iruka for a boyfriend? It was no fucking joke. Iruka sighed loudly before climbing shakily out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom to clean his self up for the seventh night in a row.

**(I am a page break, love me)**

Kakashi cursed and flung the seemingly innocent orange book across the room. "Damn you Iruka." He rubbed his closed right eyelid, then cringed as the memories of that night continued to assault him. "…damn ME." He sighed and ran his fingers violently through his hair before standing up and pacing towards the cabinet where he kept his stash of sake, but as he opened the cabinet door and stared at the bottle, memories of what happened the last time he got drunk forced him to slam the door closed. Was nothing sacred anymore?

He couldn't drink sake anymore since the taste of it reminded him of how it clung to Iruka's tongue as he plundered that hot mouth while chocolate brown eyes fluttered shut, how it clung to Iruka's breath as he groaned out Kakashi's name while that lean frame pressed against him, hard and lean and yet oh-so-yielding against his own body. No, sake was no longer an option for him. And his favourite pastime, reading his much-loved Icha-icha novels, was faring no better.

No matter how hard he tried to picture the soft, fair, willing WOMEN described in the ero novels, his mind refused to supply any image that didn't centre around the brunette teacher. Iruka, languid and pliant as Kakashi lowered him to the bed in Iruka's apartment. Iruka's muscles trembling as Kakashi meandered his way down his body. Iruka's musky, heady scent as Kakashi swallowed him whole. His begging, pleading moans as Kakashi moved lower, licking, sucking and thrusting his tongue into that most intimate spot…

Fuck, these days he couldn't even look at a wall without remembering being pinned against the one in Iruka's apartment, or his aggressive growl as he'd turned the tables on the Chuunin, spinning him around so that he was the one shoved against the wall. It hadn't been long before Kakashi grabbed the slightly shorter man just below his ass, and pulled him up the wall. Iruka had instinctively wrapped his legs around his waist, and they'd spent the next few minutes snogging and clumsily grinding their hips together, until the brunette had made some very colourful threats regarding what he'd do to Kakashi if he wasn't naked and getting thoroughly screwed soon.

Kakashi's mind stuttered and he sagged back onto the couch, head in his hands, silver hair seeming to droop as his mind tortured him. Iruka's cries and tears of pain as Kakashi thrust harshly into his too-tight, unprepared body… his moaning voice begging for more... And that had only been round one… For the millionth time, Kakashi wished he'd been as plastered as Iruka had been, so he could have been just as forgetful. Then again… Even though he might never have Iruka, at least he would always have these damn memories…

**(I am a poor page break. I get paid minimum wage)**

Five weeks after the disastrous night of Kiba's party Iruka rinsed his mouth out for the millionth time, grimacing at the raw, disgusting feeling in the back of his throat. He'd been throwing up a few times every day for the last week. About the only good to come of it was that these days he was always so exhausted by the time he was able to crawl under his comforter, that he'd stopped dreaming about anything at all each night, let alone being shagged senseless by a certain Jounin whose completely exposed face made Iruka's breath hitch in awe every time he thought about it.

But really, enough was enough. He'd thought he just had some kind of stomach bug, or food poisoning, but it just wasn't going away. It was time to suck it up, and go to the hospital. He hated that place, but if he was throwing up all the time he'd have to start taking sick leave from work again, and he'd only been back for a couple of weeks since his time recovering from the 'Kakashi incident' as he thought of it.

He hated the hospital, but Iruka smiled when Sakura spotted him hovering about in the lobby, and came up to him. She'd matured so much since she'd been his student. She was a real adult now, and a superb Kunoichi. She'd even stopped fantasizing about Sasuke now that he was firmly committed to Naruto, and started dating Lee. "Iruka-sensei! What are you doing here? Are you visiting someone?" Iruka greeted her with a nervous smile. "Um, actually, I haven't been feeling too well lately. I came here to get checked out." Sakura blinked in surprise. "Wow! It's really rare for you to get sick. Come this way, I'll take a look at you."

Once they were in an exam room, Sakura asked her old sensei about his symptoms. "Well, for the last week I've been suddenly feeling really nauseous every so often. I've been throwing up a couple of times almost every day. It's strange though, because it comes and goes with no warning at all, and I feel totally fine in between. Also, sometimes, like when I'm a bit tired or stressed, I get a bit flushed. Not quite feverish, but my face gets really red, and I feel a bit weak. I figured it was just a flu or something, but it's not getting any better, so I came to get some medicine. Sakura-chan? Is something wrong? You look… concerned. Should I be worried?"

Sakura stared long and hard at Iruka, debating with herself. Finally, she decided it couldn't hurt to rule it out. Sure, it was utterly absurd, ridiculous, and impossible. But those symptoms… They really didn't point to anything else. "Iruka-sensei, please lie down on the table and pull up your shirt a little. I need to check something." Iruka blushed a bit, and rubbed the back of his head nervously, but he complied without comment. Sakura walked over to the table and placed her hands just above the skin between his navel and the top of his pants, almost touching his thin trail of dark curls. They began to glow with chakra as the young medic-nin examined him.

Sakura carefully and gently probed Iruka with her chakra, feeling for the tell-tale subtle difference in his chakra which would indicate… HOLY SHIT! It was really there… She wasn't just imagining it. She knew she wasn't. But how the hell had this happened? It should've been impossible! Iruka was a man for crying out loud! There was no way she could tell him he was… Tsunade. She needed Tsunade. "Iruka-sensei, please wait here. I need to fetch Tsunade-sensei. I'd like to consult with her, and ask her to confirm my diagnosis. Maybe she'll know a little more about this… I'll be right back."


	4. Three Options

The pink-haired young woman left a very confused Iruka lying on the table in Exam Room 3. When she returned, it was with an irate-looking Hokage. "Sakura, just tell me what on Earth is going on! After all your training, and all of the valuable experience in the field which you gained during the war, how could you possibly have come across something you've never dealt with before?" Sakura just shook her head. "Please trust me, Sensei. You'll understand in a minute, I promise." Tsunade just 'Hmphed', and followed Sakura over to Iruka. Sakura indicated for her to hold her hands over Iruka the same way she had. "Just feel around, carefully. You'll know it when you find it."

Tsunade didn't like being told what to do, but by now she was curious, so she did as her student instructed. She let out a shocked gasp when she found it. "WHAT THE HELL? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" But there was no denying what her senses were telling her. It was definitely there… A tiny flicker of chakra which was very similar to Iruka's, yet distinctly different from it. It could only mean one thing, no matter how impossible that one thing might be. She stood back for a minute, thinking quickly.

By now, poor Iruka was sweating with nerves. "Um, Hokage-sama, am I dying or something? If I am, please just tell me." Tsunade just barked a laugh. "Dying? Quite the opposite, actually. Iruka, have you taken any strange medicines, or been around any unusual seals or jutsus lately? Anything weird at all?" Iruka frowned, and thought about it. "I really don't think so. The only strange thing I can recall… I don't know if it has anything to do with this, but a few weeks ago…

I woke up a little later than usual. My alarm-clock's batteries had died sometime during the night. I had to rush to get ready for work on time, and didn't even have time to grab breakfast. I was running over to the Academy, when I got really thirsty. It was pretty hot that day. The thirst was almost unbearable. Then I saw a tray with two cups of tea on it, through a window. The window was open, too. I felt really guilty about it, but I was desperate for a drink, so I snuck in and drank one of the cups. I think I was in Naruto and Sasuke's apartment.

A few hours later, I started feeling really awful. I had terrible muscle pains, especially in my abdomen and hips, as well as a high fever. I had to leave work early. I made it back to my apartment, but it kept getting worse. By the time I thought I should go to the hospital, I couldn't even move. Eventually I passed out from the pain. When I woke up the next day, I felt completely fine. It was strange, but since I seemed to be okay, I just forgot about it. It didn't happen again, so I thought that whatever it was, it was over. Does that help at all?"

Tsunade looked thoughtful again. "Naruto and Sasuke, huh? Well, I don't know about Sasuke, but knowing Naruto this could very well be the result he was looking for. Although, obviously he never meant for someone else to get a hold of it. The question is, where the hell did he get such a thing in the first place? I'll have to bring him in for questioning. Honestly, what was that brat thinking? Something like this could be dangerous in the wrong hands…" Iruka was tired, confused, and scared. Dammit, he wanted to know what the hell was wrong with him!

"Iruka, after the tea incident, did you sleep with anyone?" Iruka frowned. "No, of course… Oh shit…" He'd remembered half-way through his sentence, his eyes going wide, a blush springing to his cheeks, and looking away from the other people in the room. "Um, actually, three nights after that, I got really drunk at Kiba's Bachelor Party, and woke up next to… someone." Tsunade just nodded. "Was it a woman or a man?" The blush spread to his ears and neck. What the hell kind of question was that? He muttered a quiet reply. "A man."

Tsunade smirked a little. "I thought so. Was it someone from Konoha? Someone you trust?" Iruka looked back at her, and nodded emphatically. "I'd trust him with my life, any day of the week. Can you please tell me now what all these questions are about? What do they have to do with whatever is wrong with me? What's happening to me?" Tsunade heaved a sigh. "Look, Iruka, this is going to sound crazy. You'll probably think I've lost my mind, but I'm completely serious right now. Just try to remember that we live in a world where jutsus can bring the dead back to life, and medicines can multiply your chakra a thousand fold. Very few things these days are utterly impossible anymore. The truth is, you're pregnant."

"Eh? Excuse me, could you repeat that? Wait, no, don't… That's… Oh shit…" He wanted to deny it, to argue with her, and accuse her of messing with him, or being wrong, but the look on her face left no room for doubt. Besides, she was the world's best medic-nin. If anybody else had told him such a thing, he could deny it, but coming from her… There was no way she would make such a mistake. Oh shit… "That means… I'm really going to… How could this have… OH SHIT! That means the father is… OH SHIT! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE?"

Things had been awkward enough between him and Kakashi since their drunken night of passion. It had been almost two weeks before he could even look his friend in the eye again. Their trip to Ichiraku the other night had been their first in a little over a month, and it had still been slightly awkward during the lulls in conversation. Now he had to tell him he was having his baby? HOLY SHIT! Poor Iruka started hyperventilating at the very thought. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't. It was too much. Tsunade's blurry form was shouting something, but he couldn't hear her anymore. The dark closed in on him, and he passed out.

**(I am a normal page break. I do normal page break things)**

Iruka woke up in a dark room. It took him a while to realise that he was at home, in his bedroom. For a few blissful seconds, he thought the whole thing had just been some messed-up nightmare, but then Sakura emerged from the shadows. "It's okay, Iruka-sensei. It's just me. You have to try to relax and stay calm. It wouldn't be good for the baby if you kept having anxiety attacks. When you're feeling better, Tsunade-sensei is going to visit, and discuss your options with you. Is there anything I can get you? You must be hungry."

Iruka knew he should be very hungry indeed, he hadn't been able to keep much down the day before, but he found he had absolutely no appetite. "No thanks, Sakura-chan. I think I'll try to sleep a little longer. I'm not really ready to think about this just yet. It's a lot to try to take in. I really don't want to think about it." Sakura nodded with a sympathetic smile. "Alright, but the next time you wake up I'd like you to try to eat. I'll make you some chicken broth. Get some rest now, Iruka-sensei."

**(I am the great Page-Breakini! I do magic tricks!)**

True to Sakura's word, three mornings later the Hokage herself paid Iruka a visit. Sakura had gotten him to eat some broth, and he'd returned to work even though he wasn't sure he needed it. Or all the little kids running around and reminding him that in a couple of years one of them could be HIS. He'd badly needed the distraction. He turned down shifts at the mission desk though. He was NOT ready to run into Kakashi yet.

Iruka made tea, and joined Tsunade in his living room. For once, she wasn't requesting sake instead. She told him she wanted to be sober for her scheduled meeting with Naruto and Sasuke. She'd done a little investigating, and finally felt ready to interrogate the pair. She really hoped she wasn't going to have to do anything drastic, like arrest her two best ANBU members. She was having them brought to her office that afternoon.

Once the two had each finished their first cup, Tsunade started the conversation. "Well, I thought we could start with the most basic choices, and work our way up from there. I'll list them first, and we can discuss each of them afterwards. The three main options are 1. Termination, 2. Adoption, and 3. Keeping It. Let's start with the first one. Your pregnancy is still in the very early stages, so it's not illegal yet, but due to your… unique situation, I'm not sure what effects that could have on your body, from a medical standpoint. If it's what you want, I promise that I'll make every endeavour to find a way to make it feasible, but I can't make any promises. Iruka, do you want to terminate your pregnancy?"

The Chuunin rubbed at his temple where a headache was threatening to emerge, and shook his head. "Terminating a pregnancy has always been something against my morals. I know that not everyone feels the same way, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I can't think of abortion as anything other than killing a baby. It's not something I could do, for any reason." The Hokage nodded her acknowledgement. "That's alright. It's entirely your decision. If it's not what you want, then there's nothing wrong with that. That brings us to our second option. How do you feel about adoption? Given your circumstances, it might be something to consider."


	5. Saving Pandas

Iruka just shook his head. "As strange and unexpected as all of this is, I've spent a lot of time thinking these last couple of days. This child is mine, whether I'm ready for it or not. It's my responsibility, and I'm not going to hand it off to strangers just because that would be the more convenient option. I have steady employment, and some savings. I can manage financially, so I have no excuse."

Again, Tsunade nodded. "Then I take it you're going with option three… You're keeping the child." Iruka nodded, his face the picture of grim determination. "I see. Well, that's going to give us plenty more to discuss. Due to your situation, we're going to have to come up with a way of making sure that the village in general doesn't find out about you. If they learn that we've got a pregnant man running about… Well, that could cause a lot of problems. I also want to try to keep you a secret from the Council. I'd hate to imagine what Homura and Koharu would say if they learnt about this. There's no telling what they might order to be done about it in the name of keeping Konoha safe.

I think it would be best if I sent you on a mission, a year-long or two-year surveillance mission somewhere outside of Konoha, but still within Fire Country. That way, when the year is up you can return with the child, and simply claim that you had the child with a local woman who died or ran off or something. You'd have to lie about the child's age to hide the fact that it was conceived before you left on your mission, but that shouldn't be any problem. I'd have to send Sakura or Shizune with you of course, to keep an eye on your health, and assist with the delivery.

You'll have to pretend that you're a woman in the new village, as well. Perhaps a genjutsu, or henge maybe? Although I'm not sure a henge is advisable in your condition. A manual disguise might be best. You should probably be conserving your chakra. I'd love to keep you in Konoha for your own safety, but I'll just have to send someone strong with you. Perhaps I'll send Naruto and Sasuke. After all, if they've used that damn tea on themselves, they might need to hide for a while too. What do you think about all this?"

Iruka had been listening carefully. There was only one problem he could think of. "Hokage-sama, what about the other father? He has a right to know about his own child, and there's a slim possibility that he'll acknowledge the child, and want a hand in its upbringing. Also, there's a chance that the child will resemble him more than they resemble me. If they look similar enough, people might think it's a little odd. If that's the case, how would that affect your plan?" Tsunade considered it for a moment before responding. "That would most likely depend on who he is. Iruka, I think it's time you tell me his name. You said that he's someone from the village who you trust a great deal…?"

Iruka looked away, deep sadness etched in his features. "It's the Jounin Hatake Kakashi. We've been friends for many years now. Since Naruto was just a student at the Academy. He helped me home after Kiba's party, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in his arms. I told him I thought it would be best if we just pretended that it never happened."

Tsunade blinked in wide-eyed surprise. "Kakashi? Are you sure? I mean, everyone knows he's almost as big a pervert as Jiraiya was, but still…" Iruka furrowed his eyebrows in a barely perceptible scowl. "I don't know why everyone thinks that just because he reads those books. I took a look at one once, and even though they've got... this and that in them, some of them also have some really romantic plot in them too… Even if it's a little corny…"

Tsunade just snickered at that. "I wish I could be there when you tell him. I bet the look on his face will be absolutely priceless. Just be sure to tell him soon, so we can finalize a plan. Maybe I'll send him on the 'mission' with you, or if that's too suspicious I could send him on long missions nearby. I better be heading off now. I need to talk to with the Brat about that dangerous tea of his. Want me to kill him for you?" Iruka smirked and shook his head. "That's alright. I have better ways to get him back for this. I'll just make him babysit for me when the baby's born. Let's see how he enjoys taking responsibility." Tsunade grinned evilly. "Naruto changing a diaper… Now that I would pay to see…"

**(I am a green page break. I despise electricity.)**

Tsunade glared at the nervous-looking young man sitting in front of her desk. His wary lover was trying to stare her down, but she ignored him. "BRAT! I KNOW ABOUT THE TEA!" Naruto instantly went pale, and the usually pale Sasuke went almost grey. "Th-th-the tea? W-w-what tea?" Tsunade growled. "What tea do you think? The tea for making a man pregnant!" Naruto was almost crushing Sasuke's hand, but the midnight-haired man didn't seem able to feel it. "But Granny, how did you find out about that? It didn't even work!"

Tsunade glared at the boy. "Oh, it worked alright! Just not on you! Someone else, desperate for a drink, happened to spot your tea through your open window, and drank a cup of it! Now the poor guy's knocked up! What were you thinking, Naruto? Where on Earth did you even get that stuff?" Naruto gulped. "Well, that explains why it didn't work… I thought Sasuke drank that cup, but that must have been the cup with the medicine in it… The thief must have switched the cups around too."

Tsunade just shook her head and sighed. "Well? Where did it come from? You'd better be honest with me, Brat!" Sasuke finally recovered from his shock, and answered for his lover. "Remember last year, when Naruto decided to go on a trip to the Five Nations, to visit all the friends he made during the war? And he insisted on dragging me along so he could show everybody that I was 'reformed'? Well, during our travels we ran into a little old lady living up in the mountains. She said she was researching and taking care of the pandas.

Apparently, after each Great Ninja War, the pandas are heavily poached. She became worried that they'd wind up going extinct, mostly because of their slow reproduction rate. She came up with a medicine which would make it possible for the males to fall pregnant, in the hopes of saving the species. When Naruto found out about that medicine, he became very… excited.

He begged me to let him try it, and after a while I gave in, but I insisted it wait until we were back in the village. He couldn't be travelling about with his stomach looking like he just swallowed a watermelon whole. He agreed, and convinced the old lady to give us some samples of the medicine to take home. She told us she didn't think it would work on humans, but Dobe wanted to try it anyway. You know what he's like.

When it didn't work the first time, we thought the old lady must have been right, that the medicine would only work on pandas, but it seems that's not the case…" Sasuke's eyes widened, and he looked over at a grinning Naruto. "You don't think…?" Naruto's grin just got bigger. "Granny, do you think you could take a look at me? I told you we should try again, Teme!" Tsunade growled, and narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "You tried again? Jeez, I shouldn't have expected any less from you, Brat!"

Nevertheless, Tsunade got him to lie on a table, and examined his belly the same way she and Sakura had examined Iruka. "Oh great, now we have TWO pregnant men running about Konoha! Congratulations on finding yet another way to make my job as the Hokage more difficult, Brat!" Naruto's eyes watered. "You mean… It worked? I'm really going to have a baby?" Tsunade gave a defeated sigh. She wanted to glare and yell at him, but when he looked at her like that, so happy and emotional, she couldn't possible stay angry at him.

"Yes, Brat. You're about two weeks along. You and Sasuke are going to have a baby. Congratulations." Naruto turned his head to look at his most precious person, speechless with emotion. But Sasuke looked… conflicted. Tsunade noticed, and left the two alone to talk. "Sasuke? Are you okay? Please, say something." Sasuke looked up from the floor, and met Naruto's worried eyes. "Naruto… I never really thought it would work. I only agreed to let you try because I didn't think it could possibly… but it did…"

Naruto paled. "Sasuke, what are you saying? Are you telling me you don't want this baby? I've always wanted a big family, you know that. Since I never had one when I was little, I wanted to make my own when I got old enough to. If this hadn't worked, I was going to adopt one of the orphans from the war. We talked about this!" Sasuke looked away again, dozens of emotions and conflicting thoughts swirling in his black eyes. "I know. I always knew. It just always felt far away. I thought I still had time before I had to deal with this, but now… I just don't know if I'm ready for this…"

Naruto sat up, crying for a completely different reason than he had been a few minutes ago. "So, what? Does this mean you're leaving me? Are you saying we're over? Sasuke, it wouldn't really be a family without you, but I'm not getting rid of this baby, or giving it up. That's not something I could do, not even for you." Sasuke kept looking at the floor to his right. "Sasuke, say something! Are you breaking up with me? Am I going to be raising this child on my own?"

Sasuke still said nothing, but now the most dominant emotion in his eyes, and on his face, was pain. Naruto sobbed, and looked away. After a few moments he looked back, but Sasuke was gone. He stayed in Tsunade's office for hours, sobbing his heartbreak with one hand over his mouth, and the other hand over his flat stomach.


	6. Ramen Left Uneaten

The Uchiha compound had been destroyed when Pain's attack had flattened Konoha, and left nothing more than a crater ringed by rubble. Sasuke wished more than anything that it was still there, that he could return to his childhood home, and sit in Itachi's old room. It had been so many years since he'd last been in there, but he could still remember every little detail of its layout. But it was all gone now, so instead Sasuke sat, hugging his knees, on the wooden stump in the clearing where Itachi had once helped him to practice his kunai throwing.

He'd never wanted to have children. After the childhood he'd had, and the life he'd led, he knew he'd make a really shitty father. He knew nothing about kids, other than how miserable they could feel when they were all alone in the world. But Naruto had BEGGED him, with that desperate look in his eyes. He wanted a family. Sasuke wasn't enough for him. He needed more, and Sasuke had been powerless to refuse him.

He'd comforted himself by telling his brain over and over that the medicine would never work. It had been designed for pandas for crying out loud! It never should have worked, but it had. Not just for Naruto either, but for some other poor sod as well, purely by accident. Shit. It was all such a mess. And now, when Naruto should have been happily celebrating his newly discovered pregnancy with his lover, he was all alone, probably crying and heartbroken. The mental images made his chest throb with a dull pain.

Sasuke should've stayed with him. He belonged by the Dobe's side. He'd known that for years. It was the only place where he'd felt like he was home since Itachi had massacred their clan. Ever since the war, he'd been living only for his beloved Dobe's sake. But now, when Naruto needed him the most, he'd abandoned him. When Itachi died before his eyes, he'd been left the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, except for that crazy son-of-a-bitch Madara. Even that psycho Uchiha had died in the war, mostly thanks to the all-powerful tag-team he made with Naruto. He'd lost his last blood relative, and now he'd willingly run out on the only family he had.

Naruto was the one who'd wanted this child, but it wasn't just Naruto's. It was half his too. It was half Uchiha. It was half Sasuke. It was theirs, the product of their love-making. It was a gift, a precious thing which he was extremely lucky to be getting. He should have been overjoyed, just as Naruto had been when Tsunade gave him the news. So what was he so fucking scared of? How could he be such a coward?

But what if he did this, what if he went back to Naruto, and begged for forgiveness, and raised this child with him, only for the child to grow up to become a monster, like Orochimaru or Madara, or even like Sasuke had been when he'd almost killed Sakura? What if Sasuke was such a terrible parent, with only darkness in his heart to share, that the child became a powerful, evil person whom only Sasuke and Naruto could kill? How was he supposed to face Naruto if he let that happen? How was he supposed to live with himself?

Of course, with Naruto for the baby's other parent, it should grow up to be a regular ray of sunshine, a little hero absolutely brimming with the 'Will Of Fire' from the second it was born. But what if something happened to Naruto? The war might be over, but there would always be dangerous bad guys in the world, and Naruto was the only one strong enough, besides himself, who could handle some of them. What if Naruto was sent on an S-rank mission one day, and never returned? Or returned in pieces? How the hell would Sasuke cope with raising their kid on his own?

The trouble was, it was even more difficult to answer the question, how was he supposed to live without Naruto? If he left him, where was he supposed to go? When the entire world had turned their backs on him, when even Sakura and Kakashi had made up their minds to kill him, only Naruto had remained. Only Naruto had still called him his friend. The only place left for him in the whole world, would always be directly at Naruto's side.

His old friends may have forgiven him over time. His students might respect him now. But, without Naruto, life wouldn't be worth living anymore. After Naruto had dragged him back to his senses during the war, and brought him back to Konoha's side, for a long time he'd felt like the world would be better off without him in it. He remembered what he'd been, the darkness which had been in his heart. Naruto's warmth had burnt most of it away, but traces of it would always be left to remind him. He'd thought so many times about killing himself.

Then, when he'd been at his most despondent, Naruto had kissed him. He'd kissed him, and touched him, and brought life flooding back into his body. That night, the two had become lovers for the first time. Since then, he'd never again thought about harming himself. For Naruto to love him so much, there had to be some part of him which was worth keeping alive, didn't there?

But how could Naruto ask this of him? How could he ask Uchiha Sasuke to become a father? It was too much. He might be a genius, and he may be an extremely powerful shinobi, but he could NOT be a father. Except, he was going to become one whether he accepted it or not. He didn't want this child to grow up with him for a father, but did he want his child to grow up without one of his or her parents? Sasuke sighed, frustrated and confused. What the hell did he want? Shit, he didn't even know anymore. "Itachi, what would you have done?"

**(I am a dictionary page break. I know what xanthophyllous means.)**

Naruto didn't know where to go, so he just kept walking. He couldn't return to his empty apartment. Maybe he could disappear for a while to Mt. Myoboku. Then again, he didn't think he could stomach the food there, especially when his morning sickness kicked in. He loved his village. He really did. Nothing was more precious to him than Konoha, except maybe Sasuke.

Hell, he loved his village so much that he wanted to become the Hokage someday. But, right at that moment, he would've given anything at all to be anywhere else in the world. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. When his feet eventually stopped moving, he looked around and found himself by the three wooden posts where Kakashi had once done the bell-training with him, Sakura, and Sasuke.

Shit. Every time he thought about Sasuke, it felt like someone had punched him. He didn't know how long he'd be able to take it. Dammit, he needed his Teme by his side. He couldn't do this without him. He didn't even want to try. As he sat with his back against the post he'd once been tied to, and his face in his hands, all he wanted was to feel Sasuke's strong arms wrap around him, and his silky voice whispering that everything was going to be alright. He stayed there for a while, until he had no tears left to cry, then got up and started walking again. He had to keep moving.

He still couldn't go home. He couldn't walk into an empty apartment. If he had to do that now, he'd start crying again, and he'd only managed to stop an hour ago. He sat in Ichiraku Ramen, staring at the bowl in front of him, but he couldn't eat. He felt so empty. What was he supposed to do now? Had it really been that selfish of him, to ask Sasuke to raise a child with him? To want a family? Would he still have taken that medicine if he'd known this would come of it? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was too late to think like that now.

Sasuke was gone, and it didn't look like he'd be coming back. Shit, he was crying again! He roughly wiped the salty liquid from his eyes. He didn't need anybody seeing him like this. He was well used to being alone. He could survive on his own one more time. He still had his friends, and soon he'd have the baby. Sure, it would hurt like hell every time he remembered that he no longer had Sasuke, but he'd get over it eventually. He had to. But he really didn't think he could.

Iruka sighed, staring at his bowl of ramen. He'd needed to get out of his apartment, and get some fresh air. Sakura had insisted he get something to eat, as well. Still, he just couldn't bring himself to pick up his chopsticks. Just looking at the noodles made him feel ill. He glanced over to his right, and saw Naruto looking ready to cry, a full bowl of ramen in front of him. That was when he remembered where he'd drank that accursed tea.

"Naruto, come with me. You look like you need to talk." Naruto looked up at him, startled. He rubbed a tear from his eye one more time, before standing. He left some money on the counter for his untouched meal, and Iruka did the same. The pair walked through the village silently until they reached the cenotaph next to the training area where Naruto's team had once done their 'bell training' with Kakashi.

"Naruto, have you spoken with Tsunade recently?" Naruto looked at Iruka confused, but he nodded. "She mentioned she was meeting you today. It doesn't look like she told you about me, though. I know about the tea, Naruto. I'm the one who drank the medicine, and accidentally got pregnant." Naruto fell off his seat with a surprised yelp. "YOU? Oh crap, Iruka-sensei, I'm so sorry! I never meant for you to get dragged into this. Are you okay?"

Iruka smiled tiredly at his ex-pupil. "No, I'm most definitely not okay. I steal one cup of tea, and have a single, drunken one-night-stand, and now my supposedly male self is pregnant with my best friend's baby, and I haven't the first clue how I'm supposed to tell him. That explains why I couldn't bring myself to eat my ramen tonight. What I want to know is, why couldn't you eat yours?"


	7. Breaking The News

Naruto looked at the floor, guilt and pain swirling in his expressive blue eyes. "You're not the only one who's pregnant, Iruka-sensei. I tried the tea again. You know me, if I can't get something right the first time, I just try again and again until it works. Well, it worked the second time. I'm two weeks along, according to Tsunade-Granny. The problem is, Sasuke didn't really think it would work, and when he found out that it did… He left me. He said he wasn't ready to be a father."

When Iruka had first found out how he'd gotten into his current predicament, he'd wanted to be angry at Naruto and Sasuke. What had they been thinking, leaving such dangerous medicine just lying around? But in the end, he knew he had nobody to blame but himself. He'd drunk the tea uninvited. He'd gotten drunk and slept with Kakashi. And now, looking at Naruto's heartbroken expression, he found it impossible to put a single ounce of blame on the young man's shoulders.

"Naruto, do you think you could do something for me?" The blonde lifted his wet eyes to meet Iruka's gaze. "Sure, Iruka-sensei. I owe you big time. If it's something I can do, I want to help you." Iruka smiled fondly at him, before his eyes became sad. "Tomorrow, I'm going to tell my baby's other father about me being pregnant with his child. He's my best friend, but after I tell him, he's probably going to really hate me. When he's left, I'm probably going to cry my eyes out, and hate my life. Could you be there, Naruto? Could you cry with me then?"

Naruto smiled sadly at the man he'd once thought of as an older brother. "Of course, Iruka-sensei. Us pregnant guys have to stick together." They both chuckled a little, before heading back to Iruka's apartment. Iruka lent him some pyjamas, and the two shared his big bed. They fell asleep quickly, their depression pulling them into the void.

**(I am a hobo page break. I'm a bum.)**

"So, Iruka-sensei, who's the other father of your baby?" Iruka sighed. Naruto had been sleeping at his place for the last week. The boy was going to find out in ten minutes anyway, if Kakashi was on time for once in his life. "It's Hatake Kakashi. We got drunk at Kiba's Bachelor Party, and woke up together in my bed." Naruto's eyes were the size of saucers, and his jaw had made a loud 'thonk' sound when it hit the floor. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH? KAKASHI-SENSEI? That's so weird, it's like this baby is going to be my nephew AND my cousin!"

Iruka laughed, for the first time since he'd walked into the hospital three days ago. "Your nephew and your cousin? What are you talking about, Naruto?" Naruto looked at him like he was an idiot. "Well, I've always thought of you like a big brother, which would make your baby my niece or nephew, and Kakashi-sensei is like an eccentric uncle to me, which would make his kid my cousin. You see now why I'm confused, right?"

Iruka swallowed the lump in his throat back down, and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Naruto. This baby is going to be very lucky to have you for a family member, either way. I really hope this means I get to think of your baby as my niece or nephew too." Naruto grinned and nodded. "Of course, Iruka-sensei! I wouldn't have it any other way! Besides, without Sasuke around, this baby is going to need all the family it can get."

By the end of his sentence, his smile looked very strained, and the atmosphere had become very depressing and awkward, but just then the front door's bell rang. Iruka hurried over to answer it, nervously rubbing the back of his head at the same time. As expected, Kakashi stood there with a copy of Icha Icha Paradise in one hand. "Ah, Iruka! I'm sorry if I'm a bit late. I had to help a little old lady find her cat. No, really. It was a mission for my new Genins."

Iruka chuckled lightly, and ushered his friend inside. "Kakashi-san, please take a seat. I was hoping we could talk. There's something I need to tell you." Kakashi nodded, and sat on the sofa opposite Naruto. "Naruto! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a mission or something?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Actually, I'm here for moral support. Iruka-sensei asked me to be here today." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that, but waited quietly for Iruka to take his seat next to Naruto.

Iruka took his seat, and opened his mouth. He knew exactly what he was going to say, and he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to say it. Sooner or later, the baby would be born, and he'd have to come up with an explanation as to where it came from, and why some of its features resembled Kakashi's. The baby was Kakashi's too, the man deserved to know. Hell, this child was going to be a Hatake clan heir, technically, although Iruka honestly didn't know how he felt about that.

He was worried about how Kakashi would feel about that, too. He'd been quite shocked to discover, in the years when they'd been close friends, just how desperate some women were to be the ones to give Kakashi an heir. The Hatakes had once been a powerful clan to rival the Hyuugas and Uchihas in the village, before the various ninja wars and several unlucky health issues and tragic incidents like the suicide of Kakashi's father had brought down their numbers to a single silver-haired individual.

Any woman who produced the Hatake heir would receive power, money, and protection from the village. Such an infant would be very valuable to Konoha indeed, after all. One or two women had even lied, proclaiming that the child they carried was Kakashi's, only to be proven guilty of dishonesty by a Hyuuga or a medic-nin. Each time that had happened, Iruka had found Kakashi brooding by the cenotaph, deeply immersed in unpleasant thoughts. The last time it had happened, Kakashi had quietly whispered to him the part of the situation which upset him so much.

"They don't want to know me, or deal with me. They just want what they can get from being connected to me. They just want what my name can give them. They want the perks without the drawbacks. They think that if they could just have a little piece of me, a piece with my talent and potential, then they could miraculously escape their dull and precarious lives, and be content forever after. But, they'd rather do it by having my baby than by even pretending to care about me."

Oh hell, what if Kakashi thought that Iruka was like one of those women, that he was just trying to take advantage of him? After all, it wasn't like they were in a relationship, like Naruto and Sasuke were. Hell, Sasuke had known full well what Naruto was trying to do, and had even given him his permission to do it, but when Naruto's attempts had been successful, he'd STILL freaked out and left him. That baby had broken up one of the most glued-together couples Iruka had ever come across in his entire life. How the hell was Kakashi, someone who had no idea this could possibly happen, and didn't even have sex with him out of love, supposed to react to the same news?

Naruto and Iruka had spent several hours talking the night before, and Naruto had told his old sensei everything Sasuke had told Tsunade about where the medicine had come from, so Iruka had decided he'd start at the very beginning, and calmly try to explain everything one step at a time. He'd tried his best to prepare himself for this, and he'd thought he was ready, but now, with Kakashi sitting opposite him like this, looking directly at him with curiosity and a touch of concern, he realised just how wrong he'd been. He wasn't ready. He couldn't do this. Even if he knew he had to at some point, he could NOT tell Kakashi that he was pregnant with his baby. Not yet, not today.

"Iruka, are you alright? You look a bit pale. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?" Iruka had to laugh a little hysterically at that. It seemed to him that all he did these days was sleep. Or at least, he lay in bed all day, anxiously imagining this exact moment and all of the ways in which it could go horribly, HORRIBLY wrong. In his vivid imagination, Kakashi rejected him in a million different ways, ranging from furiously storming out of the apartment, to having a mental breakdown, to murdering him with his Chidori. But, that still counted as resting, right?

"I'm sorry to have asked you here for nothing, Kakashi-san, but it seems that I'm not quite as ready for this conversation as I thought I was. You're right, I haven't been feeling too well lately. I think I'm going to go to bed. Please feel free to stay and chat with Naruto for a bit, he can let you out when you're ready. I'll speak to you again when I'm feeling better, I promise. Goodnight then." Kakashi watched with confusion and worry as Iruka quickly stood, swayed on his feet a little, and staggered to his bedroom. What on Earth was all that about? And what was wrong with Iruka?

Naruto sighed heavily, bringing his attention back to the downcast young man. "I thought he'd be okay with me here, but I guess he really just couldn't do it. Considering Sasuke's reaction, I can hardly blame him. I better go see if there's anything I can do. I think it might be best if you left, Sensei. I'm sorry. This is all my fault, really, even if Iruka-sensei has forgiven me. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for this one." Now Kakashi was more confused than ever, but it didn't seem like Naruto would be willing to go into details if he was asked for them. Whatever was going on, it looked like he'd just have to wait until Iruka could work up the courage to tell him.

When Kakashi had left, Naruto went into Iruka's bedroom and had a brief conversation with him, before performing his 'Mass Shadow Clone' jutsu. Several Transportation jutsus later, Naruto had officially moved into Iruka's apartment. There was no going back for him. There was nothing left for him at his old apartment, and right now Iruka needed him. If he ever stopped needing him, he'd find a new place, but he'd never go back. He just couldn't.


	8. Wait For Me

Sasuke had thought about it the entire night, until he'd reached a decision. He couldn't live without Naruto, and running away from this whole situation without ever even trying to be a father to his child was just plain cowardice. If he left Naruto, then that would mean killing himself, and Itachi would kick his ass for the rest of eternity if he died for such a stupid reason. Sasuke smiled to himself, thinking of the look on his brother's face if that happened.

He kept smiling all the way back to the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. He knew it might take a while for Naruto to forgive him for freaking out when Tsunade gave them the news, but his dobe had a big heart. The blonde wouldn't stay mad at him for long. Now, he just had to find the blonde idiot, apologise, and tell him he wanted to raise their child with him. Sasuke's smile fell when he got to the apartment, only to find it dark and empty.

Oh hell, what had he done? All of Naruto's things were gone. Had the Dobe run away? Had he left the village? Surely he knew better than to do that in his condition, didn't he? Then again, Sasuke called him 'Dobe' for a reason. Shit, he never should have left the blonde's side! When Naruto got all upset and emotional, there was no telling what the little moron would do!

**(I am a blanket page break. I'm fluffeh!)**

Only many years of Uchiha training kept Sasuke from losing his mind. He was impatient at the best of times, but right now his pregnant Dobe was Kami knows where, and he'd been searching for hours. Eventually he gave in, and summoned a collection of hawks. He wrote out the same message several times, and tied one to each of the hawks' left legs. He sent them to every sensory-type in the Konoha Genin 16. (Gaara and his siblings were considered by most of the gang as the Suna branch of the Genin 16, and Sai was the honorary 16th member.)

Neji, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Sai each looked up as a hawk circled over their heads before coming in to land on their shoulders, and each received their message. 'I have to find Naruto immediately. Please assist. Return my hawk with co-ordinates if you find him. –Sasuke' The two Hyuugas activated their Byakugans. Shino sent out his bugs, and Sai his ink mice. Kiba jumped up onto Akamaru's back, and sent chakra to his nose. Within seconds, the five were scouring Konoha for their friend.

The first hawk to return was Neji's. He'd happened to be on his way to visiting his fiancé, Tenten, who lived in the building opposite Iruka's apartment building. Sasuke quickly gave the hawk the task of letting the other four know that they could stop looking, before rushing off in his Dobe's direction. He wasn't going to let his beloved suffer in solitude for one moment more than he had already. It didn't matter how scared he was. He loved Naruto, and Naruto loved him. In a few months, they'd have a child which they could love, together. Nothing else should matter.

Only, while he was running across Konoha to where Iruka lived, he started thinking about this new development. Did this mean Naruto had moved in with his old sensei? How could he do that when his condition was going to become apparent in a few months time? Was it temporary, while he looked for another place? Why had he moved out of their home in the first place? Did he seriously think Sasuke could abandon him that easily?

Did he really think Sasuke was never going to come back? Had their bond really been that fragile? Before the war, Naruto had spent years chasing him. He'd done everything within his power to bring him home to Konoha, had almost died in his efforts to beat some sense into him on more than one occasion. Yet, now, Naruto couldn't even wait for him for a couple of hours while he thought things through. The change in him scared Sasuke. Why couldn't he just wait for him?

All of his old doubts resurfaced, and a few new ones were born. Sure, Itachi would kick his ass if he showed up in the afterlife before his time was up, but he could think of far worse fates than that. Heck, what was he supposed to do if he begged Naruto for his forgiveness, and Naruto decided that he couldn't forgive him after all? Damn it, he couldn't approach Naruto yet. He needed to do some more thinking after all. Still, he wanted to get as much information as he could about this new twist, before he did anything else. Instead of heading into Iruka's apartment building, he walked into Tenten's.

After he'd knocked twice, Tenten opened her front door. "Sasuke? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be across the street right now?" Sasuke didn't look her in the eyes when he asked if he could talk to Neji. She hesitated, but invited him in and showed him to the living room. Neji was in there, drinking tea. He looked up when they came in, but he didn't look in their direction. He didn't need to. "You want me to take another look, and tell you what Naruto's doing at Iruka-sensei's home?"

Sasuke nodded, and waited. He knew that Neji would spot the signal, even if he was still staring at the wall opposite the couch. "About two hours ago I felt a flare of chakra, and noticed an increase in activity. It seems Naruto created a number of clones, which teleported in and out of the apartment several times. I took a look, and it soon became clear than Naruto was moving in with Iruka-sensei. When they were done, Naruto cancelled his clones, and went into the bathroom, at which point I stopped watching. Iruka-sensei went to bed early just after a visit from Kakashi-san, and just before Naruto made his clones."

Sasuke nodded once more. He'd have to find Kakashi later, but first… "And now? Has Naruto gone to bed yet?" Neji looked uncomfortable, and asked Tenten to get some more tea for a bit. It seemed to Sasuke that he'd just wanted her out of the room, which made him suspicious. Did Neji think he was going to lose his cool over whatever he had to say next? Neji cleared his throat, and one hand lurked near his weapons pouch. "First, I should probably tell you that Iruka-sensei's apartment only has one bedroom. And one bed. And no, Naruto isn't sleeping on the couch."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. Uchihas were very possessive by nature. This… this was almost more than he could take. He managed to croak out a single question. "They're sharing a bed?" Neji nodded, and hastily continued. "Neither of them has done anything inappropriate as far as I've seen, and they're both fully clothed in pyjamas, but yes, they're sharing a bed. Also, it's a bit far away for even me to see, but I think there might be something strange about Iruka's chakra. I may have detected a slight anomaly. He could be ill. Perhaps Naruto is just worried about him, and has decided to look after him for a while."

Sasuke thought hard about that. "What kind of anomaly? Where in his body is his chakra different? Is Naruto's chakra different too?" Neji activated his bloodline limit one more time, and stared through the wall to his left. After a few seconds, he frowned deeply. "You're right. It's more distinct with Iruka-sensei, but Naruto also has a tiny change in his chakra, and they both have it in their abdomens. I haven't seen anything like it since Temari-chan was pregnant, but obviously that can't be what's happening here. I can't think of anything else it could be though. They should both be checked out by medic-nins."

Sasuke sighed. So Iruka was the poor sod who'd drunk the first batch of tea and gotten knocked up. It was a bit of a surprise, he hadn't thought Iruka batted for the same team as himself and Naruto, but then again, until the moment Naruto had stuck his tongue in his mouth a few years back, he hadn't known he batted for that team either. Knowing that Iruka was the other pregnant man in Konoha explained why Naruto had moved in with him.

He still wanted to know, though, why he'd moved out of their place. He also had to do something about getting his Dobe out of another man's bed, before he stormed over there and killed said man. "Thank you for your assistance, Hyuuga. Mention this to no-one. I'll take my leave now."

The next morning, when Naruto woke up, he did so in the bed from the spare room of the apartment he'd shared with Sasuke, but the bed was in Iruka's living room. He found a note on the pillow, next to his head. It simply read, "I'm sorry, I just need a little longer to think about all of this. Please wait for me. –Sasuke" Naruto stared at the note for a long time. What the hell did this mean?

Sasuke wanted time to think about things, so he still didn't feel ready to be a father, but he wanted Naruto to wait for him? Did that mean there was hope for them? Or did he want Naruto to wait until he was ready to break up with him properly, to his face? Sasuke wouldn't be cruel enough to give Naruto hope just so he could crush it later, would he? But how could he give just this tiny piece of hope, and nothing more?

His thoughts and emotions were once again in a turmoil, and he didn't need this. The baby didn't need this. All of this stress was unhealthy. He crumpled up the note, walked into the kitchen, and threw the note in the bin. He was going to put Sasuke out of his mind. When the bastard had 'thought things through', and he was ready to talk, then Naruto would listen. Until then, he wasn't going to think about it, because if he did it would only bring him more unnecessary stress. He made two cups of instant ramen for breakfast, grabbed the bottle of prenatal vitamins Sakura had dropped off the previous morning, and went to wake up Iruka.


	9. What would you do?

Kakashi stood before the cenotaph, just as he'd done for countless hours on countless occasions over the years. Silently he discussed his problems with his ghosts, and tried to imagine what advice they would've given him if they'd still been alive. 'Something's wrong with Iruka, and Naruto thinks it's his fault, even if Iruka doesn't blame him. Sasuke knows about it, and he wasn't happy to find out either. I want to find him, and ask him what's going on, but it seems like only Iruka can tell me. Except, he really doesn't want to. I'm worried about him, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do.'

He stood in silence, and waited for Obito to say something. That ghost was being unusually quiet today. 'Kakashi, do you think Naruto left Sasuke for Iruka?' Kakashi blanched at the thought. Technically, it sort of fit everything he'd seen and heard, but… 'That can't be it! Iruka is almost twice Naruto's age, that would be disgusting! Besides, why would it be so hard for Iruka to tell me that?

Because Naruto and Sasuke were my students, and he broke them up? Iruka would never come between a happy couple like that. He just wouldn't, that kind of thing isn't in his nature at all. Because he felt like I should know since I was his first ever fuck? That makes no sense. It's not like he has to tell me every time he gets a new lover, just because he got drunk and jumped me once. Because he knows I love him? He couldn't possibly know that. I've never done anything to give him any kind of hint before. I know damn well how to hide things when I feel the need. You're wrong, Obito. I know you are.'

Obito just smiled at him. 'Hey, I was only asking. No need to get so defensive. If that's not it, and you're really worried about Iruka, then you should talk to Sasuke. You can't just ignore a comrade in distress, after all, even if he has Naruto taking care of him. Especially considering that you're madly in love with him.' Kakashi blushed slightly under his mask. 'Shut up, Obito. How many times do I have to beg you not to tease me about that before you put me out of my misery and listen?'

Obito smirked, and began to fade. 'Just go see my little nephew already. Tell him his brother says 'hi'.' Kakashi grimaced. 'Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather not have my ass handed to me AGAIN for mentioning Itachi to Sasuke. He might seriously kill me next time. The little bastard keeps getting stronger. He's ANBU now, you know. I'll talk to him though. Thanks, Obito.' With his mind made up, Kakashi turned away from the cenotaph, summoned his dogs, and went Uchiha hunting.

It wasn't long before Pakkun reported in that Sasuke had just been spotted halfway between Iruka's place and the apartment he shared with his lover, heading home. Kakashi did a few quick mental calculations, before heading to Sasuke's and Naruto's apartment. He leaned against the wall next to the door, and waited for Sasuke to get there. He didn't have to wait long. Only ten minutes had passed when the young Sannin with glossy blue-black hair came into view. He didn't say a word, or look in Kakashi's direction, but when he'd unlocked the door and stepped inside, he left the door open for Kakashi to follow him inside.

Once inside, Sasuke silently made tea while Kakashi waited in the living room. He'd visited before, so he knew the layout of the apartment already, but this time the place seemed a little… emptier… "Sasuke, has Naruto moved out?" His sharp eye didn't miss Sasuke's slight flinch as he walked into the room with a tray carrying the tea. "Yes, actually. He came for his things this evening. I was out at the time, but I have some friends with some very useful bloodline limits. We can get to that later. I was actually hoping to see you soon. I have some questions for you. You visited Iruka-sensei today, right? What did you talk about?"

Kakashi hid his surprise and unhappiness at hearing Sasuke's shocking news, and decided to answer him. "Iruka wanted to tell me something, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it. He seemed unwell. Naruto seemed to be thinking aloud the way he does sometimes, but he mentioned that whatever the news was, you'd been given it too, and reacted badly to it. He also seemed to think that the whole situation was his fault, but Iruka didn't blame him. He didn't seem to want to give up any details though, he seemed to feel that it wasn't his place, that I had to wait for Iruka to tell me." Kakashi waited, and watched Sasuke closely for his reaction.

Sasuke stared at him with shocked eyes. "You're the other…" He caught himself before he said too much, but he kept staring. "Well, that's quite a surprise, Sensei. I never would have thought…" He stopped again, and slipped deep into thought. Kakashi let him think for a while. It seemed like Sasuke couldn't tell him everything either, but that he was willing to tell him SOMETHING. That was more than he'd gotten from Naruto. Besides, it let him do some thinking of his own. 'The other what?'

Suddenly, Sasuke came back to himself, and asked Kakashi bluntly, "How do you feel about Iruka-sensei? Do you love him?" Kakashi choked on the sip of tea he'd slipped under his mask while Sasuke was distracted, and grimaced. It got tough to breathe through his mask when it got damp. Now he'd have to change it soon. "What does that have to do with anything? And what makes you think it's any of your business what I do or don't feel about Iruka?" Sasuke's expression didn't change. "Actually, it's extremely relevant, and I need to know so I can know which details it's safe to give you. Besides, I already know you slept with him."

Kakashi paled, and thanked whoever might be listening to his prayers that he hadn't tried to drink any more of his tea, because he most definitely would have choked to death otherwise. "How the fuck did you know that? I haven't told anyone, and Iruka said he wanted to pretend it never happened, so I doubt he told anyone either." Sasuke just sighed. "I'm a genius, a Sannin and an Uchiha. There's very little I don't know. That's not the point. You haven't answered my question yet. Do you love him?"

Kakashi glared at his former student, but he was desperate for information here, so he did the only thing he could. "Yes, I love him, but I haven't told him yet. That night we slept together, it was only because we both got drunk out of our minds at Kiba's Bachelor Party. It was a mistake. The next morning all Iruka wanted was to forget it ever happened, and go back to being friends." Sasuke smirked humourlessly. "I was at that party too. You weren't drunk when you left with Iruka-sensei. You took advantage of him. You're probably really going to regret that when you find out everything."

Kakashi glowered, barely concealed fury glimmering in his one visible eye. "I did NOT take advantage of him! HE jumped ME the moment we walked in the door! I couldn't have stopped him without hurting him!" Sasuke's smirk just grew bigger. "Yes you could have, but you didn't want to. You thought you could just let everything play out, and by morning he'd be head-over-heels in love with you, but he was too drunk to remember anything, right? He could barely stand when the two of you left that party."

Kakashi kept glowering at Sasuke. "You asked me if I loved him, and I gave you my answer. Was there a point to that, or were you just screwing with me after all?" Sasuke's smirk disappeared, and a slightly depressed seriousness came over him. "You say you love him… If he loved you back, and the two of you could be happy together… What would you say if Iruka-sensei wanted a family? If he could give you children, and he wanted them, what would you tell him?"

Kakashi was now thoroughly confused, but he considered the question. "I've never really wanted children. That was mostly because I never found the right person to have them with. Most women only want to take advantage of the gains they would get from my clan name. I'm sure you of all people can understand that. Even after everything you did, and even now that you've made certain everyone is thoroughly aware that you're completely committed to Naruto, you still have a fan club. With Iruka though, it would be different. He wouldn't ask me for children just so he could be the parent of the Hatake heir. He'd ask me for them because he wanted to raise a family with me."

Sasuke thought about that for a little while. "Then, you'd be just fine with it? If Iruka wanted a family, and it was possible for him to have children, then you'd give them to him? Wouldn't you be afraid? The two of you were both orphaned at a young age. Sure, Iruka-sensei has lots of experience dealing with children, so he'd probably make a good parent, but you're extremely socially awkward.

You might know how to turn children into good little soldiers for Konoha, but how can you be sure that you'd be able to successfully raise a child? It's not an easy task. It's got nothing to do with shinobi skills. It's about being a decent human being. You fail in that category. You're a selfish, lazy pervert, who couldn't scrape together enough respect to be on time for ANYBODY, except perhaps the Hokage. Why would you think you could be a father?"


	10. Kakashi's Confession

Kakashi looked like Sasuke had just slapped him. "I… I hadn't thought of all that. You make some excellent points. It wouldn't be easy, and I might be no good at it. I might even fail. But, I'd be doing it with Iruka. As long as I had Iruka with me, I know it would be okay. Besides, they say that becoming a parent changes you, that it makes you want to become a better person. Maybe I'd be able to change, for my child's sake. I wouldn't know until I tried, right? Sasuke, why are you asking me all of this? What's going on with Iruka? Just tell me already."

Sasuke looked like he was struggling with himself. Finally, he spoke. "If you love him, you should tell him. That's something he really needs to know right now. Even if he doesn't want to talk to you yet, even if he doesn't want to look in your direction, you have to make sure you let him know. If you tell him that, he'll be able to tell you what he needs to. It's not a secret I can give away."

Kakashi narrowed his eye in a scrutinizing stare, but accepted that Sasuke had given him all the advice he was going to get for one night. "Alright. If you insist, I'll confess to him. Now, do you want to tell me why Naruto has moved out? Have the two of you split up?" Sasuke looked away now, deep pain in his eyes. "I love him. He means everything to me. I just don't know if I can be everything he needs me to be. I know that I'm the one he wants, but he deserves so much better. A small part of me will always be an avenger, the monster which almost killed Sakura, and you. How can Naruto ask me to be a part of a family, when I'm so disgustingly tainted? I'd just destroy it, and I'd destroy him in the process."

Kakashi stared, dumbstruck, at the young man in front of him. "Sasuke…" There was silence for a few minutes, then Kakashi regained his wits, and carefully spoke his mind. "Nobody knows you better than Naruto. He knows all about the time you almost killed Sakura, he was the one who saved her, remember? He'd know if you were tainted, so if you are he obviously doesn't care. If he wants to adopt some kids with you, then he must think you'd make an acceptable father. He loves you, so he wouldn't ask more of you than he thought you could handle."

Sasuke shook his head. "Even if he knows I'm tainted but just doesn't care, I care. What if I accidentally turned the kid into the next Uchiha Madara?" Kakashi rolled his eye, and looked drolly in Sasuke's direction. "I'm pretty sure you only get psychopaths that bad once every thousand years. Besides, there's no way a child raised in Naruto's Konoha could turn out to be anything but a wonderful person, no matter who it has for parents. Even you couldn't stuff a child up that badly." Sasuke snorted softly. "I'm not as convinced of that as you are. It's late, I'm going to bed. You should head home." Kakashi sighed, but he nodded and Transported home.

**(I am a cool page break. Brrr.)**

The next morning Kakashi made his report to the cenotaph. 'He wouldn't tell me what Iruka couldn't say, but he said that right now Iruka really needs to know that I'm in love with him. Also, it seems that Naruto wants to start a family, and he left Sasuke because he took the news poorly. Does that mean Iruka's planning on starting a family too? Is that what he wants to tell me? But why would he need to tell me? The more I learn about all of this, the less sense it makes.' Obito nodded in agreement. 'Maybe you should talk to a Nara. They always had plenty of brains in that clan. Talking with one genius was helpful, maybe talking to another one, who is more objective, could help you figure out a little more.'

Kakashi considered this. 'A Nara, huh? I suppose a chat with Shikamaru couldn't hurt. He'd probably think it was too troublesome, but he might be grateful to escape his house for a little while. I've heard Temari and the baby have been running him ragged lately. The other day Chouji was complaining that his friend hardly has any time for cloud-watching with him anymore. Alright, Obito. I'll give it a try.'

It took him a while to find him, since he wasn't at home. Not to mention, he'd narrowly avoided being shredded by Temari's blades of wind. It seemed Shikamaru had snuck out some time ago, and was hiding from his wife. He'd be in for the beating of the century if he ever returned, but the lazy Jounin was probably used to it already. Kakashi tried three other locations before finally spotting the Nara at his favourite cloud-watching spot. Kakashi flickered into place next to him, with a casual 'Yo!'.

To his credit, Shikamaru didn't show the slightest hint of being startled. "Yo indeed, Kakashi-san. I take it you're not here to watch the clouds with me?" Kakashi smirked behind his mask. "You're right about that. Actually, I have a little puzzle for you to solve. Think you can help me?" Shikamaru sighed loudly, but agreed to give it a go, so Kakashi told him everything which had happened during his visit to Iruka's, and his conversation with Sasuke. Shikamaru asked a couple of questions, before adopting his characteristic thinking pose.

Kakashi took out Icha Icha Paradise and pretended to read it, while anxiously waiting for Shikamaru's conclusions. After a good ten minutes, Shikamaru opened his eyes, and turned to Kakashi. He immediately put the book away. "Well, based on what you've just told me, as well as the gossip which has been circulating among the Genin 16 over the last couple of weeks, my guess would be that Naruto found some kind of medicine or jutsu during his travels last year which would somehow make it possible for a man to get pregnant, and Iruka was accidentally exposed to it, and as a result is now carrying your child. I could be wrong though."

Kakashi glared daggers at the lazy Jounin. "I came here looking for an objective perspective, not a theory so ridiculous it sounds like something I'd say as an excuse for being late. Obviously I was wasting my time. You should go home before Temari decides to hunt your ass down and kill you." With that, the disgruntled silver-haired Jounin left the roof, and headed back to the cenotaph. Obito was going to laugh his ass off when he heard about this.

He was half-way there, when he realised that he was just outside Iruka's apartment. He'd subconsciously detoured in this direction while he was thinking over his conversation with Sasuke, and the strange things Shikamaru had told him. Sasuke had told him that it was very important that he confess to Iruka soon. Even if he didn't know what they were, the young Sannin must have had his reasons for giving him that advice.

Kakashi hadn't planned on saying anything to Iruka about his feelings, ever, but Iruka had looked such a mess the last time he'd seen him… His eyes had been dull and empty, he looked like he'd lost weight, and his skin had been a sickly hue. If there was anything at all he could do to help the man he loved, even if that was confessing, then he would do it. He gathered his nerves, and knocked on the door.

He took a half-step back in surprise when Naruto opened the door. "Oh, hello Kakashi-sensei. You're here to talk with Iruka-sensei, right? Look, I hate to be rude, but I don't think he's ready to talk with you just yet. Please be patient with him. I know it's tough for you to understand right now, but trust me, when he tells you you'll really get why this is so tough for him." Kakashi recovered from his surprise, and replied before Naruto could shut the door on him. "Actually, I'm not here to hear whatever it is he needs to tell me. I'm here because there's something I need to tell him."

Naruto blinked in surprise, frowned in thought for a bit, then let Kakashi in. "By the way, Naruto, what are you doing here still? I hear you've left Sasuke." Naruto looked away, biting his bottom lip. Kakashi saw pain and confusion flood the young man's expressive blue eyes. "I'd really rather not talk about Sasuke, if that's okay with you Sensei. Let's just say, right now Iruka-sensei and I are taking care of each other. I've moved in with him for the foreseeable future." Kakashi decided not to press the issue. Naruto was clearly still in far too much pain to discuss it with him.

"Please wait in the hall, Sensei. I should let Iruka-sensei know that you're here. He doesn't need any surprises right now." Kakashi gave a curt nod, and waited while Naruto disappeared into the living room. Soon, the blonde Sannin was back, and ushering him inside. Iruka sat on the couch, his jasmine tea completely forgotten, as he warily watched Kakashi come closer, and take a seat opposite him. "Hello, Kakashi. I'm sorry about your last visit. I really did mean to talk with you, but… Naruto tells me you have something you need to discuss with me?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, Iruka. Sometime over the last few years, between all of our walks, lunches, brief conversations, arguments, and dinners… somewhere along the way I started thinking of you as more than just a good friend. That night, the night of Kiba's party, I wasn't drunk. I was completely sober.

When I got you to your place, and you… made advances on me... I could have resisted you, but I didn't. I was secretly very happy that you were at the very least attracted to me. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like I did, and I'm very sorry that I hurt you. But, the truth is, I couldn't resist the temptation because I had feelings for you, feelings which only grew much stronger that night. Umino Iruka, the truth is that I love you."


	11. The Hatake Nose

Iruka let his head fall into his hands. He had to be hallucinating. He hadn't eaten a solid meal in days, he was sleeping like shit, and he'd been getting morning sickness from Hell for three weeks. It had finally driven him mad. That was the only explanation, because Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan, infamous Copy Ninja, ex-ANBU, one of Konoha's top Jounin, could NOT be in his living room, confessing his love for him. Sure, they could be friends. That didn't require much. But this… this could only be a hallucination. He'd definitely lost his grip on reality once and for all.

"Iruka? Iruka, are you alright? Please say something…" Kakashi awkwardly trailed off. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. Iruka seemed to have a knack for stepping on his heart without meaning to. "Iruka, are you feeling sick again?" Iruka just shook his head slowly. "Since it seems I've degenerated to the point of hallucinating, I don't suppose you could tell me that YOU drank Naruto's fucked-up medicine, and YOU'RE the one having the baby?"

Kakashi stiffened. 'What the fuck? Shikamaru was actually right? How the fuck did this happen? Wait, no, I'm getting ahead of myself here. I must have misheard, or misinterpreted what he said. That's the only reasonable conclusion.' "Iruka, you're not hallucinating. Could you please tell me what you're talking about? Who is having a baby?" Iruka looked at him searchingly, as if still trying to decide whether what he was seeing was real or not. Oh well. Either way, he was too exhausted and drained to care anymore. It was time to just come out with it, consequences be damned. At least he wouldn't have this part hanging over his head anymore.

"Well, you see Kakashi, last year when Naruto and Sasuke were travelling about the Five Nations, they came across a little old lady living in the mountains. It seems she was worried about the pandas going extinct from poaching, so she invented a special medicine. That medicine allowed the male pandas to fall pregnant, and save the species. That part isn't too difficult to believe if you just think about some of the crazy things a very powerful shinobi is capable of.

Naruto and Sasuke brought some of the medicine back with them, because Naruto wanted to see if it would work on him, so he could have a family with Sasuke. The thing is, when Naruto was off making out with Sasuke somewhere, I accidentally drank the tea he'd made with the medicine in it, and I had no idea just what I was drinking. A few nights after that, it was Kiba's Bachelor Party, and you know what happened that night. Apparently you remember every appalling little detail. A few weeks after that, I started getting sick every so often, and after a week I still hadn't gotten any better, so I went to the hospital. You're a genius, so you can probably see by now where I'm going with this.

Tsunade-sama examined me, and discovered what had happened. You see, Kakashi, the medicine worked. As hard as it is to believe, I'm pregnant. And the child is half yours." Kakashi blinked a few times, before glaring at Iruka. "I know Naruto likes to play pranks, but I thought he'd grown out of that! Panda medicine? Seriously? I didn't think you and Shikamaru were the kind to get involved with his mischief either! What are you playing at, Iruka? Aren't you the one who said we should forget that night ever happened? Why would you do this to me?"

Iruka looked like he wanted to cry. Naruto moved from where he'd been hovering by the door then, came over to Iruka, and put a hand on his shoulder, to try keep him calm. "Kakashi, it's not some prank. It's real. You can ask Tsunade-sama if you want. I'd never lie to you about something like this. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to tell you. I wanted to just leave the village and disappear, but the Hokage forbade it. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm keeping the baby. It's done nothing to deserve being killed or abandoned, so I won't do either. What you want to do about it is up to you. I'm not asking you for anything."

Kakashi looked torn. He wanted to trust Iruka, and believe him, but this… This was insane. He thought about it for a second. How could he confirm this for himself, in a way he couldn't possibly doubt? Wait! There WAS a way… Kakashi closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and concentrated on sending chakra to his nose. When he was ready, he stood, and walked over to Iruka. He crouched down, put his hands on the surprised man's sides to hold him still, and took a slow, deep sniff of the man's stomach.

When the scent hit his brain, he stumbled back in shock and fell hard on his ass. There was no faking that smell. "You smell like… me… You were really telling the truth…" Just to be completely sure, Kakashi exposed his Sharingan, and stared at where the baby would be. There… he could see the tiny flicker of chakra which was similar to Iruka's, yet distinctly different. It was similar to HIS chakra too. It was definitely his baby. "I can see the baby's chakra… there's no faking something like that… How the hell did this happen?"

Iruka put a hand over his stomach and nodded, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "I'm so sorry Kakashi! I had no idea this would happen! I never meant to hurt you like this. I'm so sorry, so so sorry…" Iruka's throat closed up, and more tears flowed down his face. Naruto put an arm around the man's shoulders, and started crying with him.

What the hell was going on here? A baby? His baby? He'd never thought about having a family of his own. As a child, thinking about having a family was too painful. As an adult, he'd thought it would be unfair to the child since, as a shinobi, he could be killed on a mission at any time. Then, when he'd figured out that he was bi, and that he loved Iruka, he'd thought it would be impossible for him to ever have children of his own. But now… He thought back on the conversation he'd recently had with Sasuke, and made a decision.

"Iruka, how do you feel about me? Do you really only think of me as a friend? Is the liking you have for me really the kind a person would feel for their brother?" Iruka looked up from the floor, startled by Kakashi's questions. "Huh? What do you mean?" Kakashi looked back at him like he was trying to see the man's soul. "Iruka, do you love me at all?" Iruka's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it again. It looked like he was genuinely considering his answer. His eyes went wide again, as he turned to look back at Kakashi.

"I… I think I do…" An indescribable happiness swelled up in Kakashi's chest, and put a lump in his throat. He couldn't talk. He could only crawl forward, cup Iruka's face in both of his hands, and kiss the surprised man through his mask. "Iruka… I love you. I've loved you for a long time now, but I never thought you'd feel the same way about me. I don't know how I feel about becoming a father all of a sudden, but if it's with you, then I want to try. If you'll let me…?"

Iruka smiled, and laughed through his tears. He pulled the silver-haired Jounin into a tight hug. "Let you? I'd do anything if you'll just stay! Kakashi, I want to raise this child with you!" Kakashi only pulled away far enough to reach up and untie Iruka's hair before tugging his mask down to his chin, and kissing Iruka again. At that angle his pale face was hidden from Naruto's view by Iruka's own face and hair. Neither of the men making out on the sofa noticed Naruto leave the apartment a moment later, grinning for Iruka, and sobbing silently for himself at the same time.

**(I am a wise page break. Beware the fart of the ninja.)**

Naruto walked aimlessly. There was no point in going to Ichiraku, he wouldn't be able to eat. He probably shouldn't do anything more than very light training in his condition, so he couldn't go train himself into a stupor. He couldn't go home, to Sasuke. He couldn't leave Konoha. Tsunade-Granny had forbidden it. Besides, bad-ass Sannin though he was, travelling could be dangerous, and he had to think of the baby.

Unless… Flying was pretty safe. And fast. And he really could do with a break. Every single thing in Konoha reminded him of Sasuke. It was driving him crazy. No, it was definitely time to call in a favour. He changed direction, knowing now where he wanted to go. He headed for Sai's apartment. Within the hour, they were on their way. Granny was just going to have to lecture him later.


	12. What Sai Could Do

Kakashi blinked in disbelief when Iruka suddenly pushed him off the coach, and sat up with a gasp. "Naruto! Kakashi, where's Naruto? Is he still in the apartment?" Kakashi felt for the boy's chakra. The nice thing about it was that it was so bright, it was very difficult to miss. "No, he left. Why?" Iruka scrambled off the coach, swayed on his legs, and promptly fell back down. "Woah, take it easy there. Jeez, when's the last time you slept more than two hours straight, or ate something decent? You have to take better care of yourself."

Iruka grimaced. "I know, I just couldn't stop thinking about how I was going to tell you, and how much you'd hate me once you knew. That's not important right now. Since things worked out between us, Naruto probably thinks I don't need him around here anymore, and Sasuke's been such an ass to him, there's no telling what he'll do or where he'll go. Kakashi, we have to find Naruto before something bad happens! He's pregnant too!"

Kakashi nodded sharply in acknowledgement. "I'll take care of Naruto, but first I'm going to take care of you. You're going to eat a genuine meal, something light, then we're going to bed. My clone and Pakkun can handle Naruto." He couldn't make as many shadow clones as Naruto, and he didn't have the practice to hold them for as long as the blonde could, but he could maintain a single clone for at least twelve solid hours. That would be plenty of time for him to look after Iruka. The man obviously needed it, and Kakashi was NOT about to neglect the person carrying his child. The more he thought about it, the prouder and more possessive he felt about his Chuunin.

He quickly ran through the seals for a shadow clone, and then summoned his pack of nin dogs. It didn't take them long to pick up the trail. When they led his clone straight to Sai's apartment, and promptly lost the scent, Clone Kakashi knew immediately what must have happened. He could just picture the emo young artist and the blond Sannin soaring away on one of Sai's painted chakra eagles.

Shit. Tsunade was going to have both their asses for leaving Konoha. Probably Original Kakashi's and Iruka's asses too. Sasuke's ass was thoroughly doomed. Tsunade was most likely going to beat the shit out of the moody Sannin for letting Naruto out of his sight in his condition. Sigh. It was going to be a LONG night, for the clone. He just wished he could've spent it curled up with Iruka like his Original.

**(I am a super page break. I can fly.)**

Naruto tiredly watched the scenery far below rush past. For the first few hours there were trees, but they eventually thinned out. For a short while there was scrubland, brush, and grassy knolls. After that, there was a sand, and deep, rich orange colour. Naruto smiled at the colour. It had been ages since he last visited the Kazekage. He was looking forward to seeing his old friend again. He couldn't wait to tell him all about the latest gossip from Konoha. He was a little less enthusiastic about the thought of telling him about the baby, but he wanted to tell him. He needed an objective perspective. Gaara was a quiet man, like Sasuke. Maybe he could tell Naruto what to do about the moody bastard.

Sai watched his friend out of the corner of his eye. He'd gotten a bit better at recognising, feeling, and expressing emotions in the last few years, but he was still by no means normal. When Naruto had come to him shortly before midnight, and requested that Sai fly him to Suna, he'd been concerned. Naruto seemed upset, and a little lost. Sai had heard the rumours. Neji had seen the blond move in with Iruka. Several of the Genin 16 had spotted Sasuke wandering about the village looking even moodier than usual. Naruto and Sasuke had both been spotted entering the hospital with Tsunade.

Something was most definitely going on, but Naruto didn't seem to want to talk about it with him. That was fine by Sai. He probably wouldn't know what to say to his friend anyway. So, instead, he decided to help his friend by doing what little he was capable of. If Naruto thought Sabaku no Gaara could help him, then Sai would gladly fly him to Suna. It was the quickest, safest way to travel, and Suna was Konoha's closest ally. Naruto would be safe there, Sai would see to that. He just hoped there was nothing wrong with his friend's health. He seemed to be a bit less tan than usual, and his eyes were still sad.

Within half a day, they reached Suna. Sai was a bit tired from the flight, but not much. His eagle was one of his most-used jutsus. He had plenty of practice with cross-country flights. They landed softly on top of the Kazekage's tower. Sai had visited Suna several times before, so the local shinobi recognised his eagle, and knew he was an ally. They were greeted by a courteous Jounin, who offered to take them to the nearest inn. Before Naruto could tell the man that he was there to see Gaara, the young Kazekage came into view, emerging from a small sand tornado.

"Naruto, I heard you were in town. What brings you to Suna?" Naruto pasted on a shaky smile to greet the redhead, and rubbed the back of his neck in sheer force of habit. "Yo, Gaara! I'm here to visit you. I know you're probably busy, being the Kazekage and all, so I'm sorry to bug you, but I was hoping you had time for a chat sometime soon." Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell something was very wrong. "Baki, clear my schedule for tomorrow morning. I have an emergency meeting with a representative of Konoha. Kankurou, show these two gentlemen to my Guest Quarters. They'll be spending the night here."

Baki nodded his acknowledgement before vanishing. Kankurou stepped out from the shadows where he'd been sent by Gaara's sand as the Kazekage had arrived, and nodded as Baki had, before politely showing Sai and Naruto to the rooms they'd be staying in for the night. They weren't particularly lavish, nobody in Suna lived in the degree of luxury experienced by old, powerful clans such as Konoha's Uchihas and Hyuugas, but the beds were large and very comfortable. Besides, Naruto had always been uncomfortable in very formal settings. In expensive houses he always felt like a dog which had to keep remembering not to knock anything over with his tail. Like he was an accident waiting to happen.

The next morning Kankurou came to wake them up, but they were both already awake and dressed for the day. As an ex-Root member, Sai was used to being an early riser. Naruto just had trouble sleeping. He spent the whole night thinking about the conversation he wanted to have with Gaara. Sai elected to stay behind in the guest quarters, he didn't want to get in the way of the private conversation which he knew Naruto wanted to have with Gaara.

Gaara was waiting for the blonde not in his office, but in his kitchen. A light breakfast had been set out, as well as some tea. Naruto was relieved to see that it was all light savoury food, and the tea was soothing Jasmine. His morning sickness had kicked in not long after moving in with Iruka, probably because Iruka's own morning sickness had started weeks ago, and the sounds of him hurling into his toilet were usually all it took to trigger Naruto. He tried to put the memories out of his mind when his stomach gave a lazy flop. The last thing he needed was to throw up in the Kazekage's kitchen. It certainly wouldn't win him any favours for when he was Hokage someday.

Gaara watched his friend with a worried expression. The Sannin was being as quiet as he'd been back in Iron Country, and he was looking pale and tired. He had bags under his eyes. He looked nothing like his usual exuberant self. What worried him the most, however, was that Sasuke wasn't in Suna with him. He could remember their visit a few weeks back. They'd been on their way home from their tour of the Five Nations. Naruto had seemed particularly excited about something, back then. Sasuke had been his usual possessive self, but he'd also seemed slightly apprehensive. Just enough for a fellow emotion-suppressor to pick up on.

Watching Naruto now, looking miserable and a little unhealthy, and with Sasuke gone from his side… It was enough to make him seriously consider snapping the Uchiha's neck the next time he saw him. Neither young man said a word as they ate. Naruto ate slowly, so Gaara was finished a few minutes before him. He waited patiently in silence. He wasn't going to push or rush his friend. He looked like he'd been through quite enough already.

When Naruto was finished eating, he sat at Gaara's kitchen table, staring at his empty plate. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his lips. Where was he supposed to begin? What did he even want to say? How could Gaara help him when his life was so thoroughly messed up at the moment? He gritted his teeth. He couldn't just come out and say, 'Oh hey, Sasuke left me because I got pregnant'.

The bastard hadn't even had the decency to officially leave him yet, he was still keeping him hanging on a string while he 'thought things through'. And Tsunade might kill him for revealing his pregnancy. But, dammit, he really needed somebody to talk to. He couldn't keep it to himself anymore. It was too much for him to deal with on his own, and somehow he didn't think anybody except Gaara would be able to understand right now.


	13. For The Good of Suna

When Naruto remained quiet, Gaara decided to take the direct approach. "Naruto, where is your Uchiha?" That made the blonde smile, but Gaara was unpleasantly surprised by the amount of pain and sadness he could see in the man's blue eyes. Naruto gave a pathetic little chuckle before replying. "I'm not so sure he's mine anymore. I think I might have pushed him too far this time. I really didn't see it coming. I think I let my selfishness blind me to what he really wanted."

Gaara took a sip of his tea while he thought about that, before he replied. "If you wanted something that much, it must have been extremely important to you. It must have meant something very special. Don't you think Sasuke should have been a little more supportive? You'd never ask something of him if you genuinely didn't think he'd be capable of handling it. You care about him too much for that, no matter how much you want something."

Naruto wasn't so sure about that. "To be fair, I really was asking a lot of him. I can't deny that much. I think a part of me was pretending that it was something Sasuke wanted too, but another part of me knew that it wasn't true. I just listened to the wrong part. I only heard what I wanted to hear. I should have listened better." Gaara sighed, and looked out the window. "If Sasuke truly loved you, then it shouldn't matter what you asked of him. Even if it was something big, or illegal, or something which would hurt him, nothing should be too much."

Tears started silently pouring down Naruto's smiling face. "I guess he doesn't really love me then. Sasuke said that, if he'd thought it would really work, he wouldn't have let me try it in the first place. He only let me try it because he never thought for even a second that the medicine could work. It makes sense. I mean, the stuff was designed for Pandas for crying out loud. But still…"

Gaara stared at his friend, thoroughly confused. Medicine? For Pandas? And Naruto had desperately wanted to try it? And it had worked… but to what ends? "Naruto, why were you taking medicine for Pandas? Have you been unwell?" Naruto shifted in his seat slightly, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Gaara's sharp eyes didn't miss they way he unconsciously stroked his abs while he fidgeted. "I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you that. Tsunade-Granny might kill me." Gaara's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Naruto, what did you do…?"

Naruto stopped fidgeting, and sighed. "Gaara, you're like me. You know what it's like to not really have a family. Before we met, you had no mother, and your living relatives were scared shitless of you. None of them really saw you as a precious person. I grew up the same way, except I never had any siblings to begin with, and my parents were both dead. But, later, things got better for you. You're the Kazekage now, and your siblings see you as their brother. You've got a family, Gaara. All I've got is Sasuke, and now I'm not even sure I have him anymore."

Gaara's eyes widened slightly in realization. Sure, the very idea seemed preposterous, but they were living in the world of Shinobi after all. Gaara had seen some pretty messed-up shit in the short time he'd been alive. Heck, he'd been resurrected, brought back from the land of the dead. That was supposed to be impossible too. "Is that what you asked the Uchiha for? To start a family with you? Using some strange medicine, which worked? Naruto, are you…?" Naruto gulped slightly. Without looking his redheaded friend in the eye, he nodded slightly. "Please don't tell anyone. Only a handful of people in Konoha know. Even Sai doesn't know yet."

Gaara couldn't help it. He stared at Naruto, speechless. "It's not even just me. Someone else accidentally took some of the medicine too, and wound up… Well, they're in the same condition as me now. I felt really guilty when I found out. It's someone I really care about. But I think he's going to be okay, when I left Konoha he'd just told… the other guy. He took the news really well. Unlike Sasuke. I know I shouldn't have run away, but I just had to get out of there. Everything in Konoha reminds me of Sasuke. It's too painful. I had to get away from it all for a while, you know?"

Gaara took a deep breath, hating himself for what he was about to say. "Naruto, since you intend on becoming the Hokage in the future, I'm sure you can understand when I tell you that you have to return to Konoha immediately. You being here in your… condition… could potentially threaten the alliance treaty between Suna and Konoha. Tsunade-sama is going to be furious if she finds out about this, and I can't risk her taking her anger out on my village. As the Kazekage, it's my duty to protect Suna."

Naruto looked very hurt, and slightly betrayed. His expression felt like a knife in Gaara's chest. "I really don't think she'd take it out on Suna. If anything, she'd punish ME. Besides, this is the only place outside of Konoha I can go and still be safe, in my condition, and I really don't want to go back yet." Gaara forced himself to stand his ground. "I truly want to let you stay, Naruto. You've always been a wonderful friend to me. Unfortunately, I simply can't afford to make an enemy out of the Hokage, not if there's any chance that there's more than just my personal safety at risk."

Naruto smiled at Gaara, but it looked bitter. "Maybe I should re-think my goals in life. If becoming the Hokage will mean that I won't be able to help my friends when they need me most, then I don't think I want any part of it." Before Gaara could say anything in response, the blonde stood and walked out of the room. Within seconds he was out the front door, walking quickly along the streets of Suna without having the faintest idea as to where he was heading, or the least amount of care. He certainly didn't notice the small, unnatural looking black mouse chasing his ankles.

**(I am a lazy page break, I can't reach the remote)**

Sai had promised himself that he would keep his un-well seeming friend safe while they were outside of Konoha. Allies or not, Sai was not about to let his guard down and allow anything unpleasant to happen to the young man who'd reminded him how to smile with any hint of sincerity. No. He owed too much to the blonde to do anything other than keep a close eye on him while they were in a foreign village, especially considering how frail Naruto had seemed during their flight the previous day.

Sai's facial muscles shifted into the barest hint of a frown when he felt the chakra mouse he created to follow Naruto leave the perimeter of the building they were in. He could still sense Gaara's menacing chakra signature not too far away, so he wasn't with the blonde… Where was Naruto going? Deciding it was time for him to intervene, Sai swiftly made his move, and vanished from the room.

**(I am a Gai page break. DYNAMIC ENTRY!)**

Sasuke tossed in his bed with a frustrated sigh. He hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time even once since Naruto had moved out two weeks ago. He just couldn't get comfortable in his empty bed. Also, no matter how warm the pyjamas he wore, and no matter how many blankets he piled on top of himself, he just couldn't get warm. If he put one more blanket on the bed, the sheer weight would suffocate him, but he was shivering. He knew what it was. He was too used to sleeping curled up with Naruto. That boy was like a living hot-water-bottle. It was too quiet too, without the gentle sounds of Naruto's breathing, or the barely perceptible thumping of his heartbeat.

If he didn't go back to his Dobe soon, he was either going to drop dead from exhaustion, or freeze solid. Neither prospect held any appeal for the midnight-haired Sannin. It wasn't just the cold, or the lack of sleep, either. He missed Naruto every second of every day. A part of him called out for the Dobe. It felt like he was missing a limb. It was painful, living without it. Still, he couldn't go back yet. It would be too selfish of him to return to the Dobe just so he could be with him again, before he'd sorted out in his mind what he was going to do about the baby. He'd done nothing but think about it since the day Tsunade had confirmed it, but he still couldn't come up with an answer. He was too conflicted.

He'd heard from Kakashi. He knew that Naruto had left Konoha, leaving Tsunade in a truly foul temper. It was easy enough to guess where he'd gone though, and Sasuke knew he'd be perfectly safe in Suna. Gaara would take good care of his best friend. What really got Sasuke thinking was the news that Kakashi and Iruka had gotten together, and decided to raise their child together, as a real family. They were leaving the village together soon on a 'mission'. Iruka was supposed to help establish a new ninja Academy over in the land of Waves, and Kakashi was to be his escort, and take over surveillance and reconnaissance of the area.

It seemed that the discussion he'd had with his old sensei before Kakashi's confession had been genuine. He really was okay with becoming a father, even though he knew nothing about being a parent, and had the social skills of a retarded parrot. Still, at least the silver-haired Jounin had an emotional range exceeding that of a teaspoon, unlike him. With Iruka by his side, those two would manage somehow.


	14. A Nara's Trouble

Finally he gave up on falling asleep, crawled out from under the mountain of blankets pressing down on him, got changed into his usual clothes, and headed out into the village. He'd just been going around in circles for days. He felt like a Rasengan, one big mass of conflicting thoughts. He wasn't getting anywhere. He needed a fresh perspective. Who would understand though? Who in Konoha aside from himself would be worried about becoming a parent for fear of turning their child into an evil monster bent on world domination?

Perhaps a Hyuuga might understand. Their clan was certainly capable of producing individuals strong enough to overthrow nations. Just look at Neji. He'd never once failed on any of his ANBU missions. He was even stronger than Sakura, a Sannin. Perhaps that old man would understand, Chiyo-ba's brother. What was his name again? Oh yes, Ebizo. After all, his grand-nephew Sasori had been a member of Akatsuki. Wasn't that old man dead yet? He thought he could remember Naruto saying something about him dying of old age shortly after the Fourth Ninja war.

He tried to think of anyone else who had relatives in Akatsuki, but came up blank. It must be an Uchiha thing. He had an ancestor as one of the leaders, his brother had been a member… Although it had only been for his sake, to protect him from Orochimaru. Hell, even Sasuke had been a member himself. Uchihas were all monsters, it seemed. Except maybe Itachi. Nothing had ever been more important to him than his baby brother, not even the whole of Konoha. He probably would've made a fantastic father, if he hadn't had to sacrifice everything to keep Sasuke safe.

Sasuke had to wonder whether he had any of the traits which he felt would've made Itachi a good parent. They were brothers after all, surely he had some of them. Protectiveness of his family… Check. Willingness for self-sacrifice… That one was a bit tougher. There were many things he'd do for Naruto. He'd probably even give his life, if there was no other choice. Would he do the same for his child? It was highly likely. What was it though, at the heart of Itachi's parental sentiments?

A sudden image of Itachi's smile floated to the front of his mind. That gentle smile he'd shown only to his little brother. Yes, that was it. His softness. His love. Did Sasuke have that in him somewhere? He knew that if he'd been raised by Itachi, he would have grown to become a better person than he had raising himself after the massacre, blackening his soul to grow strong enough to kill his brother. In the end, he still hadn't been strong enough, but learning the truth about Itachi had only blackened his soul further. There'd been almost nothing left to salvage, when Naruto had gotten a hold of him, but the incorrigible ray of sunshine had saved him anyway, burning the darkness away with his light.

It was too late to think that way. He hadn't been raised by his brother. His soul wasn't spared the darkness which Naruto almost had to die to save him from. He was tainted. And he wasn't his brother. He wouldn't be the kind of parent Itachi might have been, if he'd had the chance. The kind of parent he would be… Would it still be good enough? That was the question he just couldn't find an answer to. Everyone kept calling him a genius, but he still couldn't answer one little question. Maybe that was the answer? Maybe he needed someone who was more of a genius than himself. There was only one person in the entire village who fit that description. He had to find himself a certain lazy Nara.

It didn't take him long to find the shadow-master, in the middle of training his Genin team. Asuma's son was one of them. He looked just like his father, although he was much too young to have a beard yet, and he had his mother's unusual red eyes. Sasuke waited in the shadows until they were done, not wanting to interrupt them. Besides, it was nice. The kids were barely out of the Academy. They were still so innocent, and so powerless.

They were nothing like he had been at their age. They could still barely throw a kunai straight. Whenever he watched kids like them training, he felt like their innocence was rubbing off on him a little. He felt a bit less tainted. It was similar to the effect Naruto had on him, he'd noticed. Was that what it would be like to be a father? Would the baby make him feel a little more pure?

After an hour, Shikamaru dismissed his students, telling his godson that he'd have to ask for a rain-check for their trip to Ichiraku. The moment the kids were out of sight, he turned to face Sasuke. He'd sensed him almost as soon as he'd arrived. His shadow wasn't something he could hide as easily as his chakra, Sannin or not. Sasuke just smirked, and approached the spike-haired man. "Shikamaru, I was hoping we could talk. I'm in need of a few extra IQ points."

The Nara rolled his eyes. It was a real bitch sometimes, being the smartest guy in the village. EVERYBODY felt the need to come to him with their problems. These days there were very few people he was still willing to indulge. Sasuke was only one of those people due to how important he was to Naruto, and the blonde-haired idiot was important to Konoha. Everybody wanted to see him happy, and they all knew that meant keeping Sasuke happy too, like it or not.

"I've heard you broke up with Naruto for getting pregnant. That's very troublesome, you know. What's wrong Uchiha, scared you'll make a lousy dad?" Sasuke froze, the barest hints of shock showing on his features. "How did you know about the baby? Nobody is supposed to know about that except Tsunade-sama." Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. "I'm a genius. Even if Tsunade-sama hadn't come to me to discuss what she should do about all the pregnant men running around her village, I would have figured it out soon enough just from the gossip, and the problems everyone keeps coming to me with."

Sasuke relaxed. It made sense that the Hokage would've consulted their number one strategist. It was a delicate situation, after all. "I have plenty of justification for thinking that I may not make the best parent, Nara. Monsters run in my family. If this child turns out to be another little Uchiha demon, Naruto will never forgive me, and I could never forgive myself for doing that to him. What makes you doubt my right to question my parenting skills?"

Shikamaru sighed loudly. "I think you and Naruto should switch pet names. He should be the one calling you 'Dobe'. Madara grew up in much darker times, and was utterly psychotic. Anyone would've wound up as messed up as you did if they'd been through everything you had to go through, and Itachi was a good guy, he just had shitty luck getting those orders from the Council. Sure, your dad was planning a coup, but that doesn't make him a demon. He was still a decent father, wasn't he?"

Sasuke smiled bitterly. "Not particularly. He always compared me to Itachi, and never found me to be anything other than lacking. I never once felt like he was proud of having me for his son." Shikamaru had the nerve to shrug at that confession. "Then you know what not to do. Tell your kid you're proud of him once in a while. Problem solved. With Naruto raising the kid with you, everything will be just fine.

There's little chance of him leaving you to handle it alone, he's practically indestructible. You know that first hand. Madara-level psychopaths don't come along that often, and even if they did, you wouldn't let anything happen to Naruto, right? Why waste your life worrying about 'what if' situations anyway? Quit angsting over such simple things and make up with Naruto already. You have the whole village just about ready to strangle you for making him miserable as it is."

Sasuke looked away, deep in thought. "The whole village sees Naruto as a hero now. They all love him. He'll probably be the next Hokage, just like he's always said. He has the villagers, his friends all over the Five Nations. He has ME. Why couldn't all of that have been enough for him? Why did he want this baby so badly?" Shikamaru walked over to him, and stood staring in the same direction he was, towards Hokage Mountain.

"You've had a family before, and it brought you nothing but pain, so I can understand why it would be so difficult for you to grasp Naruto's desire to have one. The thing is, Naruto's never had a real family. The day he was born was also the day his parents both died. He had no aunts, uncles, or cousins, and there was no chance for him to have siblings. He's never been hurt or betrayed by a relative, like you have. To him, the pseudo-family he's attracted seems like a shadow of the bonds he might have had if Madara hadn't interfered and got his parents killed.

He wants to have a family with you, because every fibre of his being calls out for bonds of that immense strength. It's not even just that he wanted a child. He wanted YOUR child. He wants the two of you to be more than just lovers. He wants to know that no matter what happens, and no matter how far apart you are, nothing will ever be enough to get between you, forever. That's what he was really asking you for. That's what having a family means to him. Didn't he tell you the same thing?"

In that instant, Sasuke heard Naruto's voice. It was a memory from just after Tsunade had given them the news, and Naruto was trying to get him to decide whether or not he was up to following through on raising the child with him. 'Sasuke, it wouldn't really be a family without you…' A small, gentle smile came to his face. "Yes, he said something like that once. I just didn't understand what he meant by it at the time." Shikamaru smirked. "What the hell are you still doing here then?" Sasuke answered with his own small Uchiha smirk. "Excellent question, Nara." With a flicker of chakra, he was gone.


	15. Mr Legendary Jouninsama

It didn't take Sai long to catch up with the distressed blonde. He followed him at a short distance, as he thought Naruto needed his space. He wouldn't know what to say to him, anyway. When he turned into a narrow alley, Sai stood outside the entrance to it, standing guard. He heard Naruto cursing, and punching holes in the thin walls behind him. After a while, his clothes made the sound of sandpaper being used on rough wood as he slid down the wall. Sai surreptitiously poked his head around the corner, and caught a glimpse of Naruto sitting cross-legged, with his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Sai, I know you're there. You can come out already." Sai blinked in surprise, but did as his friend told him. "I didn't want to intrude. I thought I'd just make things worse with my lacking social skills." Naruto smiled up at him weakly. "Well, you'll never learn if you don't practice, right? Sometimes all you need to do is sit with your friend, and let them know that you're there if they need anything. Think you can do that for a while?" Sai nodded, and sat down next to Naruto, leaning back against the wall.

After a few minutes, Gaara rose out of a miniature sandstorm in front of them. Naruto tensed, and Sai glared at the Kazekage who'd upset his friend, but neither of them were expecting the young man to remove the gourd from his back, and take a seat on the other side of Naruto with a quiet sigh. Once he was seated, he stared at the wall opposite the three. "I'm sorry for what I said back there, Naruto. You're right, being a Kage means nothing if you let it get in the way of helping your friends. For a moment, I forgot why I became the Kazekage in the first place. I forgot that it was all thanks to you. Thank you for reminding me.

Besides, Tsunade wouldn't hold it against Suna just because I let you stay here, no matter how angry she might be with you for leaving Konoha. As for the Uchiha… I've never met any two people more fated for each other than you two. I doubt he'll be able to stay away from you for long. He'll brood and debate with himself for a while, like the emo he is, but I have no doubt he'll return to your side soon. It's where he belongs. I'm sure he knows that too."

Naruto just nodded, and hoped to hell that Gaara was right. All he could do for now was trust the Kazekage's opinion, and have faith that Sasuke would return to him. The three sat in the alley like that for an hour, before an irate Kankurou showed up to drag the somewhat sheepish Kazekage back to his duties. Naruto and Sai followed, and Gaara had someone show them back to their rooms for the rest of the day, promising to join them for supper.

The pair stayed in Suna for the next couple of weeks, after a few back-and-forth messages between them and Tsunade failed to convince Naruto to return. He couldn't go back to the village where all he could think about was Sasuke not being by his side. Sasuke was still 'thinking things through', and until that damn bastard had made up his damn mind, he wasn't going anywhere. When the Teme wanted to talk to him, he'd just have to come to Suna and find him. It wouldn't kill the bastard to be the one doing the chasing for once.

**(I am a student page break. I get Ds)**

Iruka sighed and sipped his tea. Just watching Kakashi dash about his apartment at top speed was making him feel tired. "You know Kashi, it wouldn't kill you to pack at a normal pace. Kumogakure isn't going anywhere." Kakashi just grinned wickedly back at him. "I know, I'm just excited! I can't help it! Just think about it Ruka, we'll be living together, and waiting for the kid to arrive, starting a family! It's been so long since I had a family, I barely even remember what that's like anymore, and now I'm finally going to have one again! It's like ten years worth of Christmases and birthdays all rolled into one!"

The brunette chuckled, and smiled sadly at his love. He hadn't really thought before, about just what he was giving Kakashi, and just how much it might mean to the man. "I'm glad you're looking forward to it, but the kid isn't going to get here any faster even if you pack at the speed of light. Take a break and come sit next to me for a bit, I'm cold." Iruka looked away, blushing, as he told the little white lie. He just wanted Kakashi close to him, but he couldn't say that out loud. He still had his pride as a man dammit, even if he was pregnant.

Kakashi saw right through his lover, but he didn't want to upset him, so he was careful to play along, and not let it show. "You should've said something sooner. We wouldn't want you catching a cold." He grabbed a fleecy throw-blanket from the back of the other sofa before joining Iruka on the cosy two-seater, and draped it over the both of them. He wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter male, and pulled him back against his chest. "That better Ruka?"

Iruka sighed contentedly, and snuggled into the firm warmth of his toned koi. "It makes no sense. We're both guys, so how come you radiate so much more heat than I do? Is your metabolism really that much faster? You don't eat more than I do." Kakashi quietly laughed from deep in his chest, and gave Iruka a gentle squeeze. "That's just another one of the great mysteries in life. Try not to think about it too much, it'll just give you a headache." All he got in response was an offended 'hmph!'.

Kakashi laughed again, and gave Iruka's neck a sweet kiss through his mask. Iruka had to duck his head to hide his tiny smile, but Kakashi just gave the back of his head a knowing smirk. It was a good thing Iruka couldn't see that smirk, otherwise the silver-haired man would've been in for a lengthy lecture from the fuming uke. He was one fiery-tempered little spit-fire when provoked.

"Kashi… Don't you ever worry? Don't you think about what might happen, if people found out about us? About me? No matter how you look at it, a man having a baby… It's weird. There's a lot of bad things which could happen. Some crazy Orochimaru wannabe might want to kidnap me and experiment on me. They might even come after our child. Doesn't that scare you? Sometimes I can't sleep at night because I'm so worried."

Kakashi's smirk vanished, and was replaced with a grim frown. "You don't need to worry about anything like that, Ruka. It's MY job to consider those possibilities. Don't forget, I'm the legendary Jounin Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan, the infamous Copy Nin. I'm strong enough to protect my loved ones. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to my family. I refuse to lose any more precious people, so you don't need to worry about it."

Iruka turned around in Kakashi's arms, forcing him to loosen his hold. The Jounin was surprised to see him looking angry. What had he said to upset him? "Listen carefully Mr. Legendary Jounin! Just because I'm having a baby does not mean that I'm some helpless woman! I'm a shinobi too! Just because I'm only a lowly little Chuunin does not mean I can't protect my precious people, or that it has nothing to do with me, so don't you dare tell me not to worry about it! You're my precious family too now, so it's my job to keep you safe as well! You're not the only one who hasn't had a family in a very long time, so you should know perfectly well just how scary the thought of losing you and the kid is to me!"

With that, the irate Chuunin stood, and stomped off to the bedroom, grumbling under his breath, leaving a stunned Kakashi staring after him, blinking his good eye. "Crap, I really went and stuck my foot in it didn't I… shit…" He'd known of course that the pregnancy was making Iruka extra sensitive about his pride lately, so he'd been trying to be careful not to carelessly provoke him, but this time he'd been so hasty to reassure his beloved, that he hadn't realised his point of view might be seen as insulting to the slightly younger man.

Of course, now that he looked at it from Iruka's perspective, it did sound like he was being condescending. That hadn't been his intention, but nevertheless… It looked like he'd have to apologise. He stood with a weary sigh, and walked soundlessly over to the bedroom door. He had to stifle a chuckle when he caught Iruka rubbing gentle circles over his lower abdomen, and grumbling 'Your father is an idiot. I hope you don't get that big head of his'.

He snuck up behind the Chuunin, but he had to stop when he felt a kunai digging into his vest. He froze, and a single bead of sweat dropped down his temple. "You should know better than to sneak up on people, Jounin-sama. It's bad manners." Kakashi laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Ruka. I'll definitely remember that next time. Look, I'm really sorry. You're right, I was being an idiot. Even though it wasn't my intention, I was quite condescending to you just now. I guess I forgot for a minute how many times I've been caught in your traps, or gotten tricked by your pranks.

Even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes, I know that you're a very capable shinobi too. I never meant to imply otherwise. Together, the pair of us can definitely keep our little family safe, so I think neither of us needs to worry too much. That's what I should've said from the beginning. Can you forgive me?" Iruka turned his nose up, and faced away from Kakashi so he wouldn't be able to see the evil look in his eyes, but he finally put the kunai back in his weapons pouch. "I don't know. I think that depends on just how you plan to make it up to me."


	16. Obito's Greatest Gift

AN: This is yaoi part 1. Please review if you enjoy it. :-D (this chapter beta-ed by MidniteOni)

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Kakashi smiled, and wrapped Iruka in his strong embrace. "Anything you want, Ruka. All you have to do is ask." Iruka's smirk grew bigger, and ten times scarier. "Even if I wanted ten bowls of Ichiraku ramen?" Kakashi sweat-dropped, but he smiled and answered, "Even if you want a hundred… although I'm not sure about all that salt…" Iruka looked back at Kakashi with one eyebrow raised in challenge. "And if I said I wanted you?" Kakashi lowered his right arm to brush his hand teasingly over Iruka's left hip. "That should be obvious, Ruka. I'm yours. You'll always have me." Kakashi pulled his mask down and bent his head forward to catch his lover's lips in a gentle kiss which quickly grew hungry and fierce.

When they broke for air, all Iruka could gasp out was "Bed…" Kakashi was happy to comply. He lifted Iruka off the ground with one arm under his thighs, while his other arm held the shorter brunette close against his chest. He moved them over to the bed effortlessly, kissing Iruka passionately all the while. Kakashi was in the mood for tossing him down onto the bed, but he lay him down gently, mindful of the little life he was growing.

"Ruka, I'm going to make you cum as many times as you like until nightfall. Then, I'm going to clean you up, make whatever you want for supper, and feed you in bed. After that, I'll sleep holding you in my arms all night until morning. You just relax and enjoy it. Today, everything is all just for you." Iruka blushed and shivered. Kakashi's voice was low and husky, it felt like a slightly callused hand caressing him all the way from the side of his chest down to his thigh, or like two day's worth of stubble nuzzling his cheek. The gentle roughness was a delicious contrast which left him aching for more.

It was almost embarrassing, Kakashi had only kissed him and spoken a few sentences in a sexy voice, yet the brunette was already hard, and his breathing had gotten shallower. Kakashi untied his mask and pulled off his hitai-ate, and lay them carefully on the nightstand. He wasn't wearing his vest or his shoes, just his black turtleneck, sweatpants, and socks. Iruka had been placed on leave since his condition was discovered, so he hadn't worn his uniform in days. He was just wearing a plain green shirt and thin white drawstring pants over white boxers.

He missed teaching at the Academy, but with all the Hyuugas and Inuzukas and other sensory types in his class, as well as the drain it would be on his chakra, and the danger some lessons could pose, Tsunade had decided it would be best if he didn't return to his post for the time being. The same went for working in the Missions Room, which had a constant stream of high-level shinobi coming through it every day.

Iruka helped Kakashi pull his shirt over his head, then lay back down and waited. Today was for him, after all. It didn't take more than a few minutes of kissing, necking, and teasing Iruka's dusky brown nipples before Kakashi was hot and bothered enough to have to remove his turtleneck, which was unceremoniously tossed aside. Kakashi still remembered the things which had drawn strong responses from the Chuunin their first night together, when he was inebriated and uninhibited enough to let out every moan and gasp.

Just lightly nibbling on the brunette's sensitive collarbone was enough to get him shallowly and involuntarily thrusting his hips forwards. A few licks and swirls with his deft tongue had his nipples pebbling almost instantly, and the most delightful whimpers escaping Iruka's soft lips. When he had the shorter man panting and gasping for breath, and his hard-on was tenting his loose boxers and pants, he lent back a bit, giving him a moment to catch his breath. Opening his Sharingan eye, he looked down at Iruka's stomach, and smiled with such blinding beauty, it made Iruka gasp quietly.

The brunette took hold of Kakashi's left hand, and placed it gently on his stomach, making that wondrous smile grow a little wider. The silver-haired man moved back a little on the bed, and leaned forward to chastely kiss the skin directly above the little spark of new life which he could see inside his lover, before closing his eye again. It wouldn't do any good for him to use that eye too much, and become too tired to make love to his Chuunin all afternoon like he'd promised. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Ruka. I'm really going to have to thank Obito someday, for letting me see that." Iruka just blushed slightly, and smiled happily back at him.

That blushing face, with love shining from his eyes, once again had Kakashi's fire stirring. He moved down a little lower, pulled down Iruka's remaining clothes, and took his lover's throbbing length into his mouth. He stroked it with his lips, and sucked gently. Iruka's cries of pleasure were like sweet music to his ears as he delved his tongue into the slit, and lightly brushed his teeth over the tip. He had the brunette clutching at the sheets with such a powerful grip, he thought they might tear. Oh well, if they did he could just buy new ones. It would certainly be worth it.

Kakashi suddenly deep-throated Iruka's erection, repeating a cycle of bobbing his head three times before sucking hard, then humming for five seconds. Iruka screamed at the sensation with each suck, by the seventh time he was cumming in long, powerful bursts. Kakashi swallowed it all down, thanking his shinobi training for the ability to hold his breath for two solid minutes, only choking a little towards the end. Kakashi chuckled at his lover, spread out on the bed, panting like he'd just run a marathon, limp and trembling with exertion.

"You'd better not fall asleep on me, Ruka. We still have plenty of daylight to enjoy." The Chuunin glared up at him. "It's your fault for making me cum so fast! Take it a little slower next round, or I might seriously pass out! Jeez, Kashi!" Kakashi laughed, it sounded almost like a bark. It made Iruka wonder for the millionth time just how much time he'd spent with those dogs of his when he was growing up. "Sorry Ruka, you're right. We'll take it nice and slow this round."

True to his word, Kakashi ignored his own erection, straining painfully in his pants, and starting to leave an uncomfortable damp patch on the fabric, and started slowly kissing, nibbling, and licking his way from Iruka's ticklish foot, up his ankle, calf, and thigh, past his hip and stomach, to his left nipple, then up his neck, to his ear, finally settling on his mouth. All the while his hands caressed, squeezed, and teased any sensitive flesh they could reach.

By the time their mouths met, Iruka was already half hard again. He wrapped his arms around him, pulling his silver-haired lover down to lie flush against him, where he could better feel the delicious heat his sweaty flesh was radiating. As their kiss deepened, he scratched angry pink trails down that pale back with his nails, and mercilessly grinded his hips up against Kakashi's bulge. The Jounin pulled back with a sharp gasp and a pained expression on his flushed face. "You little demon! I thought you said you wanted me to take this round slowly!"

Iruka chuckled darkly. "You have been. Painfully so. But if you don't start prepping me soon, the baby will be born already by the time I cum again. We only have until dusk, according to you." Kakashi huffed. "You know, all you had to do was ask. This is for you, remember?" Iruka raised an eyebrow. "What do you think I'm doing now? Do you not hear me asking?" Kakashi growled, before resuming his attack on the man's sensitive neck, nipping at his throat and sucking on his pulse point enough to leave vivid hickeys.

As soon as he had Iruka crying out uncontrollably again, he moved back down the bed. He sat on his knees, gripped Iruka's hips, and pulled the man up until only his shoulders, head and arms were still touching the bed. Iruka only had enough time to say "Kakashi, what the hell are you…!" before the Jounin's tongue was half inside his tight entrance, and he instantaneously lost the ability to speak. Kakashi growled his appreciation. His lover tasted just as good as he remembered, like mild vanilla soap. He toyed with the pale brown pucker, sucking, licking, and thrusting his tongue inside, until Iruka was completely hard again. The brunette's desperate whimpers were making his cock twitch.

When Kakashi was finished using his tongue, Iruka pulled himself back onto the bed with his arms while his lover carefully helped him. The silver-haired Jounin didn't bother with a single finger, he just slowly pushed two in. He groaned when Iruka's body accepted them easily, squeezing them and pulling them deeper inside. He knew he was a good deal bigger than two fingers though, so he took his time preparing his lover, purposely avoiding his pleasure spot so he wouldn't cum too soon. He refused to make his precious lover bleed like he had their first night together.


	17. A Hatake keeps his promise

**AN: Here is the rest of the nommy yaoi. The 'Sasuke comes crawling back to Naruto begging for forgiveness' arc has just begun as well. Please review if you like the yaoi, or if you have any suggestions or requests. I read every one I get, even if I don't always reply. They really make me smile every time! ^.^**

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Iruka was about ready to snap and throw something at Kakashi by the time he put the fourth finger in, but then the fingers were gone, and the Jounin was pulling his pants and boxers down. His erection, purple and swollen with neglect, eagerly sprang free. The silver-haired man watched as Iruka licked his lips lustfully at the sight of his cock, and the image made him throb painfully. "Sorry, Ruka. I don't think I can hold back anymore. I might really make you pass out." Iruka just laughed wickedly. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Hurry up and put it in, Kashi. I want you inside me the next time I cum." Kakashi groaned loudly, before lining himself up with Iruka's entrance.

He pushed in slowly, but he didn't stop until he was in as far as he could go. He wasn't completely inside, but it would take a few more times for Iruka's body to get used to accepting him. He could be patient until then. "Fuck Iruka, even after all that preparation, you're still so tight!" Iruka glared up at him. "It's not my fault! You're just too fucking big! Who the hell has a dick that big anymore?" Kakashi gave another bark-like laugh. "Hatakes do, that's who! Are you okay now? Can I move yet?" Iruka just rolled his hips in response, and smirked when the sensation made his seme cry out with pleasure.

Kakashi quickly wiped the smirk from his face when he started thrusting, quickly building up his pace and strength until he was swiftly pounding into his lover with each stroke, and the bed was creaking in protest. He angled himself until he found that little bundle of nerves which had Iruka screaming with pleasure, and started hitting it with every strike. The first time he came barely slowed him down.

He kept pumping into Iruka until the shorter man's back arched off the mattress, and he came for the second time, shouting Kakashi's name. When Iruka's orgasm hit him, his walls clamped down tightly down around the Jounin's length, triggering his own second cumming. Kakashi's second time was at least five times as powerful as the first, and it lasted much longer. Iruka's walls kept spasming, milking him for every hot, sticky drop.

When the pleasure eventually faded to a dull burn, Kakashi flopped heavily on his side, onto the bed next to Iruka, breathing hard and trembling. Iruka laughed at him. "Never mind me, it looks like you're ready to faint any second now! And just a little while ago you were warning me not to fall asleep!" Kakashi glared half-heartedly at him. "Oi oi, that's not even a joke. How can you be that good when I'm the first man you've ever been with?" Iruka smirked mysteriously. "I'm just talented, I guess." Kakashi laughed. "I'll say! But jeez, that's one useful talent to have…"

The pair of them lay back, getting their breath back for a few minutes. When Iruka draped an arm over Kakashi's chest, and started gently stroking him with his thumb, the Jounin just smiled sweetly, with his eyes still closed. "Ne, Kashi… There's not much daylight left… Think you've got enough energy for one more round? It's okay if we stop here. You were going to make supper, right?" Kakashi snorted quietly. "Ruka, I think you're forgetting who the village's biggest pervert is. I'll ALWAYS have enough energy for 'one more round'. I think I should get started on the supper though. You're getting hungry, right?"

Iruka opened his mouth to answer but, before he could get one word out, his stomach grumbled loudly. He closed his mouth, blushed furiously, and buried his face in the pillow. Kakashi just laughed good-naturedly. "I'll take that as a yes then! Beef and vegetable nabe coming right up! But first, let's get you cleaned up. We can't have you catching a cold. I'll be right back." Kakashi paused just long enough to put his mask and hitai-ate back on before ducking into the bathroom. He soaked some handtowels with steaming tap-water, and then wrung them out until they were just damp. On the way out, he grabbed a pair of fluffy bathrobes.

A few minutes later he was standing in the kitchen, cooking nabe, while Iruka sat drinking jasmine tea, watching him with a content smile. They quietly ate together, and then Kakashi washed the dishes while Iruka dried and packed them away. Two hours after dusk, they discarded their robes, and just as Kakashi had promised, they fell asleep together. The Chuunin rested his head on his lover's chest, while the Jounin wrapped his arms around his waist, and draped one leg over his lover's two. The pair slept soundly until dawn the next day.

**(I am an Ino page break. Cue hair flip)**

Sasuke watched the landscape slowly change from his seat on the back of his hawk summons. At long last, undulating hills of richly coloured sand rushed towards him from the horizon, and swept behind him. Was this the beautiful view Naruto had watched just a few weeks ago? Had Naruto bothered to look down at all, or had he been lost in thought like Sasuke had been ever since the day Tsunade confirmed the pregnancy? None of that mattered. What mattered now was that he'd made his decision. He was going to stand by his lover, and raise their child with his precious Dobe. He didn't know if he'd be forgiven for what he'd put Naruto through, running off like that, but he had to try.

It had been a stab to his heart when Tsunade had told him that Naruto had run away with that bastard Sai, to stay with Sabaku no Gaara in Suna. Although there were almost no external signs of a reaction to that news, he'd become so emotional that his Sharingan had activated on their own, triggering the painful seals painted down his back and arms which were supposed to protect his eyes from degeneration.

They'd been Tsunade's idea. Naruto had been against them since they'd cause him pain whenever they were used, but Sasuke had insisted. He was not going to choose between slowly going blind, and never using his birthright again for the rest of his life. Nor was he going to rely on anybody else, even his lover, to protect him. He still had his Uchiha pride. Besides, Naruto had already saved him once. It was his turn to do the protecting in their relationship, dammit! He could handle a little pain. In his opinion, it was a small price to pay to be able to safely make use of Itachi's precious gift to him.

For a few hours after leaving Tsunade's office, he'd been plotting dozens of tortuous ways in which he could slowly kill both Sai and the young Kazekage over a three day period at the very least. He'd stalked about the village glaring death at anyone unlucky enough to come within five meters of him, and he was pretty sure he'd accidentally made at least two small children cry just by looking at them. He tended to look scary when plotting the most painful way to murder someone.

After he'd calmed down… about halfway to Suna… He'd started thinking about what he was going to say to Naruto. He knew he'd have to apologise. That was never his forte, but he could do it for the sake of getting his Dobe to come back to him. He couldn't deny it, the real reason he'd been so upset about what Tsunade had told him... It wasn't that Naruto had run off with Sai. It wasn't even that he'd run off to be with that red-headed pest. It was that Naruto had run off at all. Even though he'd left that note asking his beloved to wait for him, to just give him some time to sort everything out in his head, the blonde Sannin hadn't waited.

Since Naruto had gone so far to chase after him and save him when he'd become a missing-nin, Sasuke had started to take for granted that Naruto would never let him go, no matter what. But this time… Not only had Naruto let him leave without a fight, not only had he failed to start chasing him after he'd had time to get over the shock of Sasuke's disappearance, but the Dobe himself had run off too.

The blonde hadn't even run after his stoic lover, but away from him. Those facts were enough to send the sensation of ice-water down his pale spine. It made his back and shoulder muscles tense in ways they hadn't done since the war. It was just unnatural. Naruto running away from him was like an apple defying gravity to return to its branch. It was like seeing a fish with feathered wings and eight spider legs. It was just against the laws of nature. He had to fix it, no matter what, or the world might just end.

Sasuke still didn't know for sure what exactly he was going to tell Naruto once they were finally face-to-face again. All he knew was that, no matter what, he wasn't going to return home, unless he was walking there hand-in-hand with his Dobe. He wouldn't let the blonde out of his sight until he was forgiven, even if he had to beat up every ninja in Suna to get to him.


	18. The Sexiest Orange Froggie Boxers

Naruto was worried. Something wasn't right. It wasn't just the fact that his morning sickness had suddenly kicked up a notch… He was putting on weight too quickly. He knew a little about pregnancies in females. He'd seen pregnant women in the village, and he'd had some conversations with Kurenai and Shikamaru about the time she was pregnant with Asuma's son. The baby bump shouldn't start showing until at least the fourth month, especially in a first-time pregnancy.

Naruto nervously reached his hand down to stroke his little belly. He was only in his second month, so why the hell did he have a bump already? It was too soon. Something was wrong. Was it because he was a guy? Did the medicine do something to speed up the development of the baby? Naruto was scared, but he couldn't talk to anyone in Suna about this, not even with Gaara. He needed to talk to Tsunade. He needed Sasuke. Damn it, why wasn't that moody bastard with him when he needed him the most? How could he ask him to do this all alone? So what if he was scared of becoming a father. Naruto was scared too! At least the Teme didn't have to carry the baby like he did!

He leaned back against his pillows with a heavy sigh. He was supposed to come to Suna to get away from the stress of always thinking about Sasuke, but it wasn't helping. It just made him even more stressed out, being away from his home and his friends... being so far away from his doctor. Also, even though he'd left Konoha, he still couldn't forget about Sasuke. The bastard was all he could think about, night and day. He felt like he was losing his mind. If Sasuke didn't hurry up and make up his mind about whether he was staying with him and the kid, or breaking up with him for good, Naruto was seriously going to track him down and kick his ass!

The blonde Sannin was just really not used to not knowing what to do, or how to fix the situation. He hadn't been this confused since just before the war, when he was trying to find a solution to the never-ending bickering among the shinobi nations. This wasn't simple, like back when Sasuke had left the village, and he'd chased after him to drag him home. Yet, that was exactly what Naruto wanted to do. He sighed again, rolled over, and shoved his face into his pillow. He needed his sleep.

Tomorrow he'd ask Sai to take him back to Konoha so he could see Tsunade, but right now what he needed most was rest. He hadn't been sleeping well without Sasuke's warm, firm body to cuddle. He'd talked Sai into sleeping in the bed with him, just to keep him company, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep at all, but it just wasn't the same. He couldn't cuddle against Sai. He didn't even really want to. It would be way too weird. He just felt so lonely. Only one person heard him when he gently stroked his stomach, and whispered, "When you're born, you'll let me cuddle you, won't you Chibi?"

**(I am a Vegan page break. Eat cows, not meat)**

Sasuke dropped down from his summons' back onto the balcony of the Kazekage's guest building. It was the same suite he'd stayed in with Naruto when they'd visited before, so it was the first place he'd felt for Naruto's chakra, and sure enough, it had been there. He sighed as a wave of comfort and relaxation washed over him. He felt like he'd just come home. That was how he'd always felt, whenever he'd come back to Naruto after a long solo mission. It was surprising that he hadn't been ambushed by guards yet, but he was thankful. He didn't want to deal with that just now.

Either he was just so good at hiding his presence that they weren't aware of him yet, or, more likely, Gaara had been expecting him to show up eventually, and had told the guards to ignore him when he did. Sasuke knew perfectly well that nothing ever escaped the Kazekage's notice. He wondered if Naruto had told him about the baby, or if he'd figured it out on his own. Either way, he was sure the redhead would know by now. Still, that was something to worry about later. Right now, his mission was to sneak inside the bedroom and find his Dobe. What came after that, he'd decide later.

Breaking in without being detected wasn't quite the piece of cake he'd thought it would be. That paranoid ex-Root bastard Sai had set numerous traps on the balcony doors. Dismantling them and avoiding them without making a sound, or triggering an alarm, was no easy task even for him, even with his Sharingan. He was distracted for a moment when he heard Naruto's voice, talking quietly to the baby. He'd had to strain to catch what he was saying, but when he did it made his heart twinge with sadness. He'd really been hurting his Dobe. Shit, he was such an idiot…

After an hour of struggling he managed to get past the last trap, and found himself walking from the living room to the bedroom, and over to the bed. He'd considered slipping under the covers and falling asleep holding Naruto in his arms, and letting Naruto wake up to him in the morning. He figured it would make a nice surprise. He'd learnt over the years that Naruto liked that kind of surprise. He stalked closer to do just that, but he froze in shock and horror when he realised that Naruto wasn't alone! That fucking bastard Sai was sleeping with him! With his hand on the blonde's shoulder, and one of his feet tossed over Naruto's ankle!

For a moment he saw red, and his killing aura spilt over into the room. Sai and Naruto were both instantly awake, and found Gaara restraining and blindfolding a struggling midnight-haired figure with his sand. Naruto was tired and confused, so it took him a moment to recognize his lover. By the time the image had registered in his brain, Sai had taken up a fighting pose in front of him, and Gaara was glaring at Sai to keep him in place. The first thought to strike him was 'Sasuke's in trouble!' It all went downhill from there…

Naruto knocked Sai unconscious from behind, then leapt over his still form to put himself between Gaara and his lover. "What do you think you're doing? It's just Sasuke! Let him go!" Gaara huffed in annoyance. "You're telling me you didn't feel that killing intent of his just now? He activated his Sharingan!" Naruto thought for a second, but he knew Sasuke very well by now, so it didn't take him long to figure out exactly what had set the taller Sannin off. He blushed furiously. "He got mad when he saw Sai sleeping in the bed with me. If you take Sai and go, we'll be fine. I'll get him calmed down." Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow in scepticism, but he did as Naruto suggested.

In an instant the two disappeared, leaving a blushing but stern-looking Naruto with his hands on his hips, staring at Sasuke. The pale man was on all fours, coughing up sand and swearing viciously. "I always knew there was a reason I hated that sand bastard… *choke, hack* I'm going to fucking kill Sai… *cough, gasp* That sonofabitch touching my Dobe… *spit, wheeze* Naruto smirked down at him. "You done yet, Bastard?"

Sasuke glared at him, but his eyes quickly softened at the sight he'd been missing so much lately… A smiling, just-got-out-of-bed Naruto, with his hair all mussed. It was warm in Suna, so he wasn't even wearing a shirt or sweatpants, just his orange boxers with the little frogs on them. They'd been a birthday gift from him a few years back, and Naruto had taken to them like a duck to water. Just the sight of the smirking Dobe standing in front of him almost naked was starting to turn him on.

For years they'd been going at it like rabbits, having sex at least twice almost every single day, but thanks to his recent stupidity it had now been over a month since the last time they'd done anything like that. He couldn't help but let out a small moan. His need was making his heart beat out of control, setting his skin on fire. He felt like he might just melt if Naruto reached out and touched him. His eyes were glazing over. All he could think was one word, repeating itself countless times in his mind. 'Naruto… Naruto… Naruto…'

Naruto blinked down at him, surprised at the sudden change. At first he thought Sasuke had a fever or something, until he noticed where his eyes were lingering. He blushed furiously as he felt those eyes staring at his lips, his collarbone, his nipples, his… *gulp* It had been just as long for the blonde, and after all that time, all it took for his body to start responding was the sight of Sasuke licking his lips while he stared at his hideous boxers.

The blonde hadn't forgotten his painful weeks of rejection though, so he backed up slowly with his hands out in front of him. "Oh no you don't! Don't even think about it, Teme! You think you can just show up out of the blue like this and pounce on me? What the fuck's the matter with you! I thought you'd tossed me away already! Didn't you go running with your tail between your legs when you heard I was pregnant? Well, newsflash buddy, I'm still knocked up over here!"


	19. One Possessive Uzumaki

Sasuke's rational mind had long retreated. He could see Naruto's lips moving, and knew that was supposed to mean something, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The only thing that registered with him was the fact that Naruto was backing away from him. He whimpered pitifully, and crawled closer to him. The blonde was forced to stop when the backs of his legs hit the bed and he tripped, falling backwards with a thump onto the thick, soft mattress. He let out a 'Meep!' of surprise, but that was nothing compared to his scream when Sasuke pulled down his boxers and took his burgeoning erection into his eager mouth.

He writhed helplessly as Sasuke's tongue welcomed him back, licking, sucking, nibbling and nuzzling, as though Naruto's growing cock was a particularly delicious piece of candy, and he wanted to make it last. When he dipped his tongue into the slit, Naruto's voice called out in passion, stoking the fire inside the midnight-haired man, and making him feel even hotter. Shit, it had been so long…

This was going to be over embarrassingly fast, he could already tell. Naruto desperately fought the sensations building up in his abdomen, trying to remember all of the reasons why doing this with Sasuke was a REALLY bad idea at the moment, but when Sasuke sucked him in all the way to the hilt, his mind went completely blank, and all he could do was scream. He started shallowly thrusting into the deliciously wet heat, panting hard, and Sasuke made no move to still his hips.

When Sasuke started humming in delight, he lost all control and came long and hard down the back of his lover's throat. Sasuke swallowed as much of it as he could, but Naruto just kept on cumming. It had obviously been building up. When Sasuke realized that his Dobe hadn't even been touching himself for all this time, he cried out and joined the blonde in his shuddering ecstasy. Both young men got the same thought, 'Fuck… that was way too fast…' But it didn't matter, because within seconds they were already getting hard again. It really had been too long…

Naruto felt tears welling up, and spilling down the sides of his head. This meant Sasuke was coming back to him, didn't it? He didn't have to be alone anymore, right? Fuck he'd missed this… He'd missed this so much… He couldn't take it anymore. "Sasuke, if you don't take me right now, I'll never forgive you!" The blonde didn't have to tell him twice. In a flurry of motion Sasuke got completely naked as quickly as he could, roughly throwing aside each item of clothing he pulled off.

Since it had been so long, Naruto knew he would need some prepping, so while he waited for Sasuke he rolled onto his front, with his hips held high in the air, and thrust two of his own fingers inside his ass. He started quickly stretching himself, moaning as he toyed with his prostate. He didn't need lube, plenty of his own cum had dripped down to his hole and made it slippery enough already. Very soon he was adding a third finger, but it wasn't enough. He needed Sasuke inside him. He needed to feel his lover, to know that Sasuke was really coming home to him, once and for all.

He cried out his displeasure when Sasuke yanked his hand away, but then the taller man thrust all the way inside his ass in a single powerful stroke, and he was complete once more. The tears he cried now were ones of relief and happiness, as he met Sasuke on every pounding stroke, calling his name over and over. He'd been waiting for this for so long… Fuck, it felt so good to have Sasuke back… He was never going to let the moody bastard walk away from him again, even if he had to hog-tie him and chain him to the basement wall by his ankle! He would seriously do it if he had to!

Both men lost track of how many times they'd cum by the time dawn started turning the sky pink outside. They'd finally collapsed with exhaustion, still clinging tightly to each other, and let themselves sink into a blissfully deep, dreamless sleep. After a month of having trouble sleeping, they were both completely worn out. But, even while they slept, Sasuke stayed buried deep inside his Dobe, not willing to pull out yet, even though he'd completely run out of erections.

**(I am a Mr. T Page break. I pity the fool)**

An entire day went by before the pair stirred again. The thought of having more sex briefly wafted through Naruto's mind when Sasuke shifted slightly, and the blonde realized that his beloved was still inside him, but his hips were sore, and his stomach was grumbling. He was absolutely ravenous! When he tried to sit up, Sasuke's arm snaked up and pulled the shorter man back down to him. The blonde was just so happy to have him back, he didn't resist. Instead he nuzzled his cheek, and started kissing his neck. Sasuke sighed sleepily, and stretched his head to one side, exposing more of the pale column. Naruto purred in response, and bit hard into the toned flesh.

Sasuke yelped in pain, and flinched back, but he still didn't pull his hips away from Naruto. "What was that for, Dobe? That hurt!" Naruto tilted his head to get a better look at the blood which was starting to seep from the teeth-shaped wounds, and nodded in satisfaction. "This time I'll be merciful, but the next time you run off like that, I'm buying you a collar and ankle-cuffs. Be grateful, Teme." Sasuke blinked at him, wide-eyed with shock. "One more thing… If you don't go fetch the baby some food right now, it might start eating my internal organs. I suggest you hurry, Bastard."

Sasuke opened and closed his mouth a few times, completely at a loss for words, but when Naruto glared at his lack of response, he jumped up and rushed to collect his clothes from their landing places all around the room, before hurrying out. Naruto whimpered when Sasuke finally pulled out of him, and when he lost sight of the pale Sannin panic flared up in his chest. He had to fight to stay calm and not run after the father of his baby. He closed his eyes and focused on the image of the bleeding bite mark on Sasuke's neck, and slowly regained control over his breathing. A large part of him really hoped that bite left a scar.

Soon Sasuke was returning with a trolley squeaking in protest at the weight of all the food it carried. "Um… I wasn't really sure what you wanted, so I just got some of everything. Is this okay?" Naruto nodded, and since his hips were too sore for him to get out of bed, he had Sasuke bring over what he wanted on a standing bed-tray. The pair ate in silence, Naruto wolfing down his breakfast, while Sasuke nibbled at his distractedly. He just couldn't take his eyes off his blonde Dobe. When his eyes lowered to the Dobe's stomach, and didn't move away, Naruto instinctively put a hand protectively over his belly.

Sasuke didn't fully understand why, but seeing that gesture sent a sharp pain through his chest as though he'd been stabbed. He glanced down at his front, and was vaguely surprised that he didn't see any blood. "Sasuke, everything we did last night was really great, but I need to hear you say it. Why did you come here?" Sasuke looked up at his lover with moist eyes. "Naruto… I'm so sorry. I never should have left you like that. I just needed some time on my own to think about everything. It was a lot to take in." Naruto was trembling with too many emotions to name. The strongest were anger, fear, and hope. "Just tell me, Sasuke. Are you leaving or staying? That's all I need to know."

Sasuke picked up the tray and put it to one side, then straddled his Dobe's legs and leant forward, so that their eyes were on the same level. He lifted his hands to gently cup Naruto's face, and showed him the man he'd never let anybody else see, the man in him capable of love, of being vulnerable. "I'm not going anywhere, Naruto. I love you, and no matter how many doubts I have about my capacity to be a decent father, I have to at least try. I owe that much to you, the baby, and myself. I realise that now. If you can forgive me, all I want to do is remain by your side, where I belong."

Naruto was about to reply when he gasped, and his hands flew to his stomach. His eyes lost focus as he concentrated on the unfamiliar sensation in his belly. The baby was moving. It was just a light fluttering, like he'd swallowed a butterfly. His heart swelled with love, and his throat tightened with emotion. His smile was shaky, and tears threatened to escape his shining eyes. It was real. He was really going to have a baby. Sasuke's baby. His own little family.

Sasuke looked at him with worry. He would've surrendered the entire Uchiha fortune if he could just know what was going through Naruto's mind just then. He didn't have to ask the blonde though, Naruto could see his questions on his face. He wordlessly took the Uchiha's hand, and placed it on his slightly rounded belly. Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion, but a second later his eyes flew wide open with shock.


	20. Anko Throws A Party

**AN: Here it is, on Monday as promised. Sorry it was a little late, I was busy this morning, then I had technical difficulties this afternoon. But right now, I'm so sad. Chapter 19 only got ONE review, in an entire week. T.T I wonder if I should even bother updating this story anymore~~ Nah, I wouldn't do that to you guys. But PLEASE review. It always brightens up my day when I get one, and most days I could really use that. I love you guys so much just for reading my work, but reviewers get gold stars on their charts~~ ^.^ I hope you guys like the big twist in this chaper...**

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It moved! It was the strangest thing he'd ever felt. That fluttering… There was really a baby in there. So tiny and vulnerable, barely even in existence, so dependant… HIS. That little flicker of chakra was HIS. A breathtakingly powerful wave of protectiveness surged through him, making him gasp for air. He knew instantly that he would do anything to keep that little life safe, even give his own life if he had no other options.

Was that normal? He didn't care if it was or wasn't. All that mattered was just this… Being with Naruto, being with their baby, loving them both… For the first time since he was just a brat in the Academy… No, for the first time since Itachi had died… Sasuke had a family again. He was NOT going to let anything get in the way of that even one more time, no matter what. His fears and reservations were not going to keep him from this happiness a moment longer. If he had to give it up now, it might just kill him. He'd been such an idiot for almost throwing this chance away. He wanted to go back in time to the day they learnt about the pregnancy, and beat some sense into himself.

He looked up and saw Naruto watching him, waiting warily for his reaction. He did the only thing he could. He gently brushed his lips against Naruto's in a chaste kiss, then leant back once more to lovingly kiss that slight rise of flesh, just above the spark of life his keen ANBU senses revealed to him. "You're amazing, Naruto. This baby is the most incredible gift. I love you both, more than anything. Do you believe me?" Naruto just grinned brightly, and nodded, not trusting his voice. He reached out and pulled Sasuke to him in a tight hug, one which the Uchiha gladly returned.

"Hey, Teme… You can see the baby with your Sharingan, right? Kakashi-sensei said he could see Iruka-sensei's baby with his. I wish I could see it too." Sasuke gently pulled out of the hug, and activated his Bloodline Limit. "That's not surprising. The Sharingan lets us see chakra, similar to the Byakugan. There it is, three little sparks… Wait a second…" Naruto's eyes flew open in realization, and Sasuke fell backwards onto Naruto's feet in surprise. "Sasuke, did you just say THREE sparks?" His pale lover looked up to meet his eyes, and slightly nodded. "Dobe, I think we're having triplets."

**(I am a dragon page break. Rawr!)**

The night before Iruka and Kakashi were due to set out for their respective missions in Wave Country, dinner preparations were interrupted by a loud, persistent banging on Iruka's front door. "Yes yes, alright already! I'm coming!" He yanked the door open, then swiftly tried to shut it again, but he wasn't quite fast enough. "UMINO! You didn't think we were going to let you fuck off to Wave Country for two whole years without throwing you a proper send-off, did you?" Anko pushed her way in, and put away the kunai she'd used to stop the door from slamming in her face. She was quickly followed by Genma, Raidou, Kotetsu, and Izumo. Gai, Kurenai, Ibiki, and Shizune arrived a minute later.

Iruka glared at the purple-haired Kunoichi when she glomped Kakashi. "Hatake! What are you doing here? You weren't shagging our favourite schoolteacher, were you?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and leered up at the silver-haired Jounin. While Iruka blushed and spluttered, Kakashi just smiled, his eye forming its trademark upside-down 'u'. "Don't be silly, Anko-san. We were just discussing the details of my next mission. I'll be Iruka-sensei's and Sakura-chan's escort to Wave Country starting from tomorrow, since I have a mission there anyways. You know what the roads can be like with bandits these days."

Iruka tried one last time to get rid of the unexpected guests. "This really isn't necessary, everyone. The other teachers from the Academy and the parents of my students already threw me a lovely party just this morning. I've still got some packing to do, so I'd really appreciate it if you would just leave. I promise to write you all once I'm settled in at the new Academy." It didn't work. People just laughed and patted him heartily on the back. Kakashi narrowed his eye at them, just daring them to pat his Iruka too hard, but since all of the blows landed closer to his shoulders than his midsection, the Jounin didn't intervene.

It was when Anko started trying to force Iruka to drink some celebratory sake that things got a little tense. Shizune, aware of Iruka's condition, tried valiantly to distract the woman, but Anko was having none of it. Kakashi looked about ready to kill her, faint sparks of chakra crackling near his right hand. Iruka was doing his best to turn her down without being impolite, but by the twitching near his left eye everyone could tell he was quickly losing his patience. "Really, Anko-san, if I get hurt tomorrow because I was too hung-over to defend myself from bandits, my cousin Namiko would kill me!"

The mention of his cousin caught the woman's attention. "Cousin? What cousin? I've never heard you mention her before." Iruka nodded, fake smile still plastered on. "My father had a brother in Wave country. Umino Namiko is his daughter. I'll be living with her until I find my own place. She's invited Kakashi-sensei to stay for a few days too, while he's getting to know the area better." The woman was completely made up, of course. She'd been invented by Tsunade, as part of the Hokage's plan to keep Iruka's pregnancy a secret from the council. When they got to the new village, Iruka was going to disguise himself as 'Namiko', so nobody would stare when his baby bump grew in.

The communications the village had been sent in preparation ensured that they were expecting the arrival of a female teacher. When Kakashi and he returned to Konohagakure with the baby in two years, they'd tell everyone that Kakashi had fathered the child with Namiko after a brief relationship, but she'd tragically died in childbirth, and Iruka had agreed to help the Jounin raise the child since it was also his last living relative. Those explanations for why the baby resembled Iruka, and why he was acting as the child's other parent, should be plausible enough to satisfy the nosy villagers. Now if he could just get Anko to stop trying to pour sake in his mouth before the smell made him throw up all over her…

It was Ibiki who stepped in and saved Anko from being dismembered by the irate Copy-nin. He dragged her off Iruka by her collar, and shut her protests up with a kiss to the side of her throat. "If Umino-san doesn't wish to drink, it's not your obligation to make him, An-chan. Really, what would your parents say if they could see you now? How will I be able to look Uncle and Auntie Mitarashi in the eye when I reach the next life, if I let you carry on like that?" Anko looked away with a slight blush and pouted. "Jeez, just because we grew up together… Fine! If Iruka wants to be as boring as a pregnant woman, I'll let him! Who cares if it's his last day in Konoha!"

Another hour later, Kakashi was forcefully evicting an extremely embarrassed Izumo and a smirking Kotetsu from the bathroom they'd been making out in. He locked the door and leaned against the cool wall, thankful for the break. He felt guilty for leaving Iruka out there, but the last he'd seen, Shizune and Kurenai were engaging him in some light conversation, and very effectively blocking everyone else's attempts to get near him. He'd be alright for a few minutes. He wanted to jump a foot in the air when Gai suddenly appeared at his side, but he managed to hide his surprise.

He didn't even bother to ask how the Jounin had gotten into the locked bathroom. "Gai. How've you been? Things still going well with that civilian girl you told me about? The maid at the bathhouse?" Gai smiled dreamily in response. "Ah yes, Midori-chan. She's still overflowing with the springtime of youth. How about you? Has my eternal rival found a spring flower of his own? I saw the way you were looking at the young Chuunin-sensei." Kakashi gave him a droll stare. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, Gai." Maito Gai raised a bushy eyebrow. "Oh really? So I didn't see him flinch when Anko mentioned him acting like a pregnant woman?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye at his old friend. "No, you didn't. You never saw a thing, Gai. Understood?" The green-clad man chuckled at his tone of voice. "Have no fear, my eternal rival. I just wanted to know if congratulations were in order. I've certainly seen stranger things in the springtime of my youth. Remember when Chiyo-basama resurrected Sabaku no Gaara? Now that's something you don't see every day." Kakashi nodded. "I remember. How could I forget when you had to carry me back to Konoha afterwards? Since I know you won't give up until you get an answer, I'll give you one. You can't tell anyone, but two years from now you'll be able to officially congratulate me and Iruka."

Gai grinned brightly at the silver-haired man he'd grown up with. "I'm very happy for you, Kakashi. I just hope you realise that, if I've figured it out, then all the other Jounins have too. Possibly some of the Chuunins too. News like this will get around fast." Kakashi nodded, and set his jaw in a grim fashion. "Just as long as it doesn't get to the Council's ears. I don't want them getting any ideas about my kid. I'll pull a Sasuke if I have to. I'm just hoping it won't come to that, for Iruka's sake."

Gai flashed him a wolfish grin. "Don't worry, Kurenai and I will make sure the others are discreet. Not even ANBU will catch a whisper of it. I know you'd do no less for Midori and me, if we were in your situation." Not for the first time, Hatake Kakashi was very grateful indeed to have Maito Gai for a best friend.

They were interrupted by frantic knocking on the door. Kakashi opened it just in time. Iruka made a mad dash for the toilet, and emptied his stomach into it. Kakashi didn't have to ask what had triggered the attack, even he could smell the alcohol on his lover's clothes. "I'm going to kill Genma! That bastard spilled his beer all over me! It absolutely stinks! Please fetch me something to change into, Kashi." In his haste, the Chuunin hadn't spotted Gai. When he turned to address Kakashi, he saw the spandex-clad Jounin watching him with a smirk.


	21. Heading For The Land of Waves

**AN: Wow! I got such a great response last week, eight reviews in just one day! I was handing out gold stars left right and centre! So happy~~ To properly give my thanks to everyone, this week one of my reviewers will get a special prize. When I post Chapter 22 on September 24th, I'll also PM the winner Chapter 23! Make sure you leave a review to enter the competition. I love you guys! Oh, I almost forgot. I have a new story which I've started posting here, called Scales and Skin, which will be updated on fridays. I really like it, so I hope some of you guys will take the time to check it out. I've also started a poll on my profile which shouldn't take more than a minute to partake in, and I'd REALLY appreciate it. I'd be so bored and lonely without all you great guys and gals keeping me busy and entertained with all your reviews and participation, it means so much to me. *hearts***

**~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~**

He paled when he realised the man had just heard him refer to his rival as 'Kashi'. Gai saw his panic, and chuckled reassuringly. "It's alright Iruka-sensei, I already know. As Kakashi's best friend and eternal rival, it was inevitable that I'd find out. Your secret is safe with me." Iruka breathed, and relaxed. He knew the Jounin was right.

He decided to make conversation while Kakashi fetched his change of clothes from the bedroom next-door. There was no point in acting awkward with Konoha's Blue Beast. "If I ever find the son of a bitch who gave 'morning sickness' its name, I'll kill him. It hits me at least three times every day, and that's only if my hyper sense of smell doesn't pick up anything too strong. I can't even walk past the Yamanako Florist Shop anymore. I can't be around Kakashi's ninken either. It's a nightmare."

Gai laughed sincerely. "It's a good thing that only lasts the first three months, then. I just wish I could be there for when you start desperately craving strange food in the middle of the night, and my eternal rival has to try track it down for you when all the shops are already closed. Knowing him, he'll probably break in with his old ANBU tricks from the springtime of his youth, and leave the money on the counter."

Kakashi smiled from just beyond the doorway, listening to his lover and his best friend having a comfortable conversation together. He'd been a little worried. After all, Konoha's Blue Beast was a strange creature, which few people really knew how to treat. There were few people he dropped his act for, but the Jounin hadn't sparkled or posed once since he'd snuck into the bathroom, even after Kakashi had left. And Iruka, Hokage bless him, was treating the man the exact same way he'd treat anybody else, completely ignoring the Beast's unusual mannerisms.

It was that ability of his which had attracted him to the Chuunin in the first place. He'd been shocked speechless for a few seconds when the slightly shorter young man had spoken against him the first time he'd nominated Team Seven for the Chuunin exams. Nobody had ever dared question his judgement before then, not even when he was just a tiny brat. They'd always just followed him as a matter of course, taking for granted the fact that he was a total prodigy. If he hadn't lost so many precious people in the ninja war that time, and then again in the Kyuubi attack, he might've let it go to his head eventually.

He walked in during a lull in conversation, gave Iruka the clothes so the poor man could stop breathing through his mouth, and then enlisted Gai's help in breaking up the party and sending everyone home. He made sure to give Genma a none-too-gentle thwack on the head on his way out. The Jounin turned to complain, caught a glimpse of Kakashi's lethal glare, and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. Next time he'd definitely have to be more careful with his beer.

**(I am a salt page break. Slugs fear me)**

Iruka's eyebrow twitched. They'd only been on the road for half an hour, and Kakashi kept sneaking glances at him, as though he might strain himself, or pull a muscle any second. The Jounin was already carrying almost all of their supplies, sealed into scrolls. The heaviest thing he'd let Iruka carry was his weapons pouch. He knew Kakashi wasn't doing it on purpose, but if he had to put up with seven more months of being mollycoddled like this, he was going to blow up and go crazy. He was a Chuunin for crying out loud, not some pre-Genin Kunoichi! Just because he was pregnant didn't give Kakashi any excuse to metaphorically wrap him up in cotton wool and bubble-wrap!

Sakura was travelling with them, she'd been assigned to start a clinic in the same village where Iruka was to start the new Academy. She'd be responsible for delivering his baby, when the time came. She wasn't as experienced as Shizune, but without her capable assistant there to nag and lecture her, the Hokage would never get any work done, and the village would get neglected. Right now the pinkette was on guard duty, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Kakashi wasn't leaving anything up to chance though, not while he was escorting his two most precious people and an old member of his first Genin team.

He'd summoned Pakkun the second they walked through Konoha's gates, and sent the pug to scout ahead. It was two days since they'd left Konoha behind them. It was still early morning, they'd started out at dawn. They were halfway to their destination, it would take a couple more days to reach the land of Waves, especially since they weren't travelling at full speed. Kakashi had planned a number of extra stops and breaks, for Iruka's sake.

Jeez… He knew he had to take things easy while he was pregnant, but it was beyond infuriating getting treated so carefully! As if a Chuunin like him couldn't even handle walking along a road for a few hours each day! He got far more exercise on a daily basis running after all the little terrors in his class, he was certain of it. Anyone who underestimated those demons wouldn't last five minutes in his shoes, especially with Asuma's son in his class. That kid might be only five years old, but he was still the biggest troublemaker the Academy had seen since Konohamaru!

Kakashi snuck another glance at Iruka, and winced when he saw his lover's glare. He'd been wearing that scowl all morning, which was why Kakashi wisely chose to keep his mouth shut when he'd wanted to propose carry Iruka on a palanquin, or renting a carriage for their little journey. He had the feeling that mentioning either scenario would've gotten him killed, and banished to the couch for the next ten years. He sighed, and swept over the general area with his senses, hearing, sight, and smell. He did the same thing every five minutes. Usually the only time he was on such high alert was when he was wearing his ANBU mask.

He didn't know what, but something was making his skin crawl. It was almost like that day back when he'd been leading Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to Wave Country, and he'd spotted the conspicuous puddle lying in the road on a sunny, cloudless day. Something just didn't feel right, although he couldn't pinpoint anything which might explain that feeling. It had him on edge, which was why he kept glancing to Iruka. He needed to constantly reassure himself that his two precious people were safe.

The ambush struck in an instant. They came seemingly from nowhere. Kakashi might not have noticed them in time if it weren't for the fact that he was paying such close attention. For Pakkun to have missed them, these were no normal bandits. They had to be high-level assassins. It wasn't strange for them to be attacking Hatake Kakashi. Even after the war had unified the Five Nations, and the Kages had put aside their old grudges, Kakashi still had plenty of old enemies who cared nothing for their village's allegiances.

It had happened before, there were a number of occasions when Kakashi had been ambushed when he was on his way home from a difficult mission, alone and already weakened from hard fighting. They liked to wait until he was vulnerable, and too far from Konoha to be able to expect help. He'd almost died at least four times in the last ten years, just from such attacks. He was vulnerable now too. Now, he had something to protect. Sakura had his back, but she'd always been more of a medic nin than a field nin. He would've given his left leg to have Tenzo by his side then, to protect Iruka while he killed these enemies.

He could generally win a fight even when he was outnumbered fifty to one, but that was when his opponents were fairly unskilled, Chuunins at the most. These guys were easily Jounins, and there were four of them. Their hitai-ates and the jutsus they used identified these men as Rain shinobi. He'd be extremely lucky to come out of this alive, especially with three people to protect. He dodged their attacks, and tried to draw them away from the others. If he could just buy enough time to make a Shadow Clone, or summon his pack… He needed to even the odds a little, and quickly.

They must have been preparing to fight him for quite some time. Even though he hadn't revealed his Sharingan yet, they were already showing him through their fighting style that they'd trained to counter his genjutsu. None of them were making eye contact. Two of them had their eyes completely covered. Three of them came after him as he'd hoped, but one veered off and chased after Iruka and Sakura. He tensed up in fear. He'd never been afraid in battle before. Concerned maybe, a little pressured certainly, but he'd never felt the blood-chilling terror which flooded his senses when Iruka's life was threatened.

Before Kakashi could move, the assassin who'd charged after the Chuunin and the pinkette yanked on a chain. The pair were standing in a defensive stance, with Sakura in front, holding a kunai in one hand and poisoned senbons in the other, and Iruka behind her. The end of the thick chain tore up from the ground and sent a giant scythe slicing through the pair from behind. For a few seconds, Kakashi's heart stopped beating. Then the two Konoha ninja poofed into two sliced-up logs, and his heart resumed pumping his blood to his organs. They were alive. He wasn't sure where, he didn't have time to look for them, but that didn't matter. Iruka and his baby were still alive.

His momentary distraction cost him dearly, one of the three who'd attacked him managed to deeply wound his left arm. It hung useless at his side, the main nerve severed. The biggest problem with that was he couldn't even form seals anymore. His left hand was totally numb. Gone was his chance for making Shadow Clones, but summoning his pack wasn't yet beyond hope. He couldn't call up mist for a distraction, but it rose up anyway. He didn't know who'd summoned it, but he was grateful nonetheless. He took a scroll from one of his vest pockets, gathered some of the blood from his arm's wound on his thumb, and wiped it along the length of the unfolding parchment.

He felt his pack pop into the vicinity around him. Pakkun was there too, having been Summoned away from his scouting mission a few hours down the road. With his dogs there he stood a chance of winning this battle, even without his left arm. He stilled, and searched through the mist with his Sharingan and his chakra-enhanced nose. There were methods which could fool his Bloodline Limit eye, and methods which could fool his dog-like level of scent, but there were almost none which could do both at the same time. He'd pinpointed the location of one of his opponents, and was just starting to formulate a plan of attack, when a hand burst from the ground at his left ankle, and yanked him down into the earth.


	22. The YY baby

**AN: Hello everyone. It really has been a long time... I know last time I mentioned a competition, but after a week I'd only gotten three reviews, and only one of them was even signed, so I decided to cancel the competition. I also felt very depressed about the lack of enthusiasm, and stopped writing for a while. You know, the authors on this site really aren't kidding when they say stuff like 'reviews feed the stories'. It was such a let-down, after I'd gotten all excited at the thought of all the gold stars I was going to get to hand out to everyone. **

**It just doesn't feel like it's worth my time to post my work if I don't get at least five reviews per chapter, especially when this story has already come so far, and has over 70 subscribers already. You'd think at least five of them could review, right? I'm not asking for miracles or anything, just a little pat on the head. Even dogs get that much, right? Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's depressing, but the content ended up reflecting my bad mood. .'**

**Also, sorry for all the biology talk. I'm a university student studying biology, especially animals and physiology. I tried to explain everything as simply as I could, to make it as easy to understand as possible, but as always, if anybody has any questions about anything, all you have to do is ask. I'd be happy to answer you, because asking means you care.**

**Oh, and don't forget to take a look at my new story, 'Scales and Skin'. It's a yaoi fanfic, InuYasha x Kouga, where Kouga is a merman. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm really happy with it, and it's much longer than what I've posted so far. I'm just waiting for some more reviews on that one, to encourage me to post. There's also a poll on my profile at the moment, which I'd really love you guys to take a look at. It shouldn't take more than a minute.**

**I really love you guys, but I get lonely really easily, and when I get lonely I get depressed, and then I stop writing, so PLEASE review. T.T**

**~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~**

He found himself dragged into a small hollow in the ground, under the road. The one who'd pulled him in was Iruka. Sakura was sitting next to him, her eyes already searching him for wounds. "Kakashi-sensei, please let me heal your arm. You might need it to defeat those guys up there. Right about now they should be stumbling through a minefield of Iruka-sensei's traps, but that won't hold them forever. It'll only buy us time." Kakashi blinked at her, then looked to Iruka. "You laid out traps? When did you have time to do that?"

Iruka blushed and looked away. "Just before I used that Substitution jutsu, I was forming seals. Nobody could see my hands since Sakura was standing right in front of me. We hid in the trees for a while, and I prepared a few more traps with my kunai, while Sakura kept watch. When I was finished I summoned the mist for you, and moved underground." While Iruka explained what the two had been doing, Sakura worked on healing Kakashi's arm. She didn't completely fix it, that would take too long. She just healed the severed nerves and larger blood vessels, and half knitted the muscles and skin back together. Time could do the rest. It was enough that Kakashi would be able to form seals again.

Every few seconds the ground shook, and dust poured down from the ceiling as a deafening boom would signal one of Iruka's traps being triggered by the enemies, and setting off another explosion. The green glow of healing chakra faded from Sakura's hands. "I'm done. You'll be able to use your left hand now, but no heavy lifting for a few days. Iruka and I will move to another hiding place as soon as you leave." Kakashi nodded his acknowledgement, then flew into a series of hand seals. The ground tore apart above his head, whilst the floor lifted him up. When he glanced back, the other two were already gone. He briefly had to wonder what he was ever so worried about.

Between his eight ninken and Iruka's numerous traps, one of the enemy shinobi was already dead. He was one of the two which had worn blindfolds to protect themselves from his Sharingan's genjutsu. With the return of his ability to use jutsu, and the creation of two water clones, the odds were once more in his favour. The fighting raged on for another half hour, and he had to use Chidori twice, but by the end of it he had only a few more minor wounds, and his opponents lay slain and defeated on the road.

He pulled his hitai-ate back over his Sharingan, and almost collapsed from chakra depletion. He hadn't had a challenge like that since the time he'd had to fight Mist's Zabuza without letting his Genins get killed. He'd need at least three days to recover. That didn't matter right now. What mattered was Iruka. Sakura and his lover emerged from the forest, completely unscathed. Sakura started healing him immediately, whilst Iruka checked the bodies, and searched them for anything relevant. What he found was consistent with Kakashi's theory, they were no better than rogue ninjas with personal grudges against him. The ninken searched the area to make sure there were no more enemies hiding nearby.

Kakashi was starting to drift into unconsciousness when a scent from his nightmares drifted to his face. Blood… Iruka's blood… He pushed Sakura's hands away from him. "Iruka! Where are you hurt?" His lover looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean? I'm not hurt. None of them got close enough to touch me." Kakashi clenched his jaw in frustration. "Then why can I smell your blood? You have to be bleeding somewhere, and quite a bit for the scent to be this strong." Iruka closed his eyes, and concentrated on the sensations his body was sending to his brain. He wasn't in any real pain, but there was some discomfort in his back, and his lower abdomen… And a feeling of wetness…

"Oh Kami no…" Umino Iruka slowly twisted around to face his rear. There, quickly spreading and dripping down his legs, was a dark red stain. Kakashi followed his gaze, and caught a glimpse of the growing discolouration. "The baby! Something's wrong with the baby!" Kakashi froze, and turned as white as porcelain. Every drop of blood in his face drained away, and his breathing hitched. Anything but that! He'd gladly lose a limb or a few years off his life, but to lose the baby would be to lose his entire future.

Sakura had moved over to Iruka the moment Kakashi mentioned smelling the man's blood. She'd seen the ominous sign as well, and was already taking action. "Iruka-sensei, hold still. Kakashi-sensei, come and hold him up. You can manage that much, can't you?" The pale Jounin didn't answer her, he couldn't. He just got up, walked over to Iruka, and held his shoulders steady. The pair didn't exchange a word, they didn't need to. Their mutual horror was reflected in their eyes.

Sakura pulled down Iruka's pants and boxers, and directed him to hold his shirt up. In any other situation he would've been bright red with humiliation, but that was the farthest thing from his mind right now. Being exposed in front of one of his former pupils meant nothing right now. What mattered was the baby, and all that blood… Fuck, there was so much blood… Sakura sighed heavily, and got off her haunches.

"Kakashi-sensei, please help me set up the tent. We can't move Iruka-sensei for a while, and you can barely stand yourself. I'm afraid right now there's not much I can do, other than slow the bleeding a little. This is something which I'll have to allow to run its course. It shouldn't take much longer. When the tent is up, I'll go wash Iruka-sensei's pants for him. Please lend him a spare pair in the mean time."

That night, with the tent set up in a small clearing just a few meters from the road, and a small fire happily blazing away just outside, Sakura finally finished tending to and examining her patient, and delivered her news. "Today, what caused all of Iruka-sensei's bleeding was a miscarriage, but that's not all. I think he was originally going to have non-identical twins, but one of them was genetically faulty, and couldn't be carried to term. Iruka-sensei is still pregnant with the second baby."

The two fathers didn't look at each other, they just tightly squeezed the hand each was holding. The news that they'd lost a child was a terrible blow, but it could've been much worse. They were still going to have a child in seven months. They had to just focus on that, focus on the good news. Iruka had a question for the medic-nin. "You said 'genetically faulty'? What does that mean?"

Sakura smiled at him sadly. "With male-male conceptions, there will always be a twenty-five percent chance of the baby being genetically non-viable. The difference between men and women is that men have the XY sex genes, while women have the XX sex genes. A woman's eggs each have only an X. A man's sperm has either an X or a Y. The baby's gender will depend on whether the sperm which fertilized its egg was an X or a Y. If it got an X sperm, the baby will be a girl. If it got a Y sperm, it will be a boy. It's a fifty-fifty chance either way."

Iruka and Kakashi both nodded. They understood so far. It was Kakashi who prompted her to continue. "You say that's what happens when a man and a woman conceive. What's different when two men conceive?" Sakura nodded to the question. "When two men conceive, there are three possibilities. There's a twenty-five percent chance of the baby being XX, a girl; a fifty percent chance that the baby will be an XY, a boy; and a twenty-five percent chance that the baby will be YY. A YY baby is only possible when two men conceive.

Tsunade-shisho discussed it with me, and we both agreed that if a YY baby ever was conceived, it would be impossible for such a child to last to term. The baby you lost today was most likely such a child. I'm not sure about the other twin, but if you haven't lost it yet, then it'll probably be okay. Besides, statistically speaking, the chances of them both being YY are very slim, unless they're identical twins. But, non-identical twins are much more common than identical twins are."

It was a small comfort, but for the time being, it was all they were going to get. They were once going to have two babies, and now they would only have one. Since they'd only been expecting one since right from the beginning, it wasn't as terrible a blow as it would have been if they'd known about the twins sooner. It was sad that they'd lost one little life, but from the sounds of it the loss was unavoidable, and nobody's fault. All they could do now was hope that the remaining child wasn't another YY baby, and pray that it would continue to grow, and be born healthy.

Still, Iruka couldn't stop the tears from running down his face, and Kakashi couldn't think of anything to say which might make the situation any less sad, so he just held his tanned lover whilst he quietly wept, right through the night. Sakura left them alone in the tent, and slept outside in her sleeping bag, with six of the ninken sleeping next to her to keep her warm, and the other two dogs on guard duty. Bull and Pakkun took first watch.

After that, Iruka didn't mind all of Kakashi's stolen glances. For the first time since he'd made Chuunin, he actually felt fragile. What if the baby he'd lost hadn't been a YY baby at all? What if the miscarriage had been caused by his fighting, the adrenaline and the strain he'd put on his chakra? What if there was another fight, and he lost the other baby too? Not to mention his biggest fear…

What if the tea hadn't actually worked properly, and it was only a matter of time before the other foetus self-aborted? After all, the medicine had been designed for pandas for crying out loud! There were MANY physiological differences between the bamboo-eating bears and normal human beings. He could see all of the same fears in Kakashi's eye every time the Jounin looked at him.

He briefly wondered whether or not Naruto was still pregnant. Had he suffered a miscarriage too? He prayed that wasn't the case. The kid he thought of as a little brother had been through so much pain and loss already, there were very few people in the world less deserving of such a tragedy. The rest of their trip was blissfully uneventful, and five days after leaving Konoha, they crossed the Naruto Bridge into Wave Country. The first thing Iruka did when he arrived, was to write a long letter to Naruto, and hire the village's fastest hawk to deliver it.


	23. Oh, The Possibilities

**AN: Hello everyone! Sorry, I know this one is a bit late, and a bit short. I just really wanted to get it posted ASAP. I promise the next one will be longer. This one is a little fluffier, to make up for the last chapter's heavy atmosphere. I hope you guys like it. **

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! I would've been writing like crazy just from those, but my Dad was visiting for a few weeks. Most of the year he works overseas, so I was trying to spend as much time with him as I could while he was here. **

**Also, University exams are coming up soon in my country, so I've been spending lots of time studying. I'm still loving this story though, and continuing it, but updates might get a little infrequent sometimes. I can only promise that I'll never make you wait for more than a month.**

**I want to send a special shout-out to xpegasus and wikedsinn. Your reviews and PMs have really kept me going. This chapter is for you guys! ^.^**

Sasuke watched as Naruto read Iruka's letter. When the blonde paled, and lowered a shaking hand to his slight bump, Sasuke felt like he'd been punched in his stomach. "Naruto? What's wrong? What happened?" Naruto looked up at him, but he didn't answer right away. He seemed to think about what he should say, before replying. "We need to go see Granny Tsunade, right now." Sasuke just nodded at him. There'd be time for questions later. Naruto would tell him when he was good and ready to. "I'll go tell Sai. Nobody will be able to get us back to Konoha faster than him."

After eighteen hours of non-stop flying, the three made it back to Konoha. Naruto was exhausted by the time they made it to their destination, but he insisted on going straight to the Hokage's office. He barged right in, something he'd been doing rarely in the last few years, and quietly told Shizune to clear the room. His expression was so serious, that she actually obeyed him, without even making a fuss. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but she waited for Naruto to explain his actions before deciding whether she should blow up at him or not.

He pulled Iruka's letter from inside his jumpsuit pocket, and slammed it down on her desk. His voice was so serious and deadly, Sasuke was shocked. "You knew about this, and you didn't say one fucking word to me." Anger and confusion warred for dominance on Tsunade's face. She yanked the letter from under Naruto's hand, and quickly read the contents. All anger slowly drained away, and left behind an overwhelming sadness and defeat. "Yes, I knew about this. I was hoping that the two of you would be lucky, since there's only a one-in-four chance, but I guess fate isn't always so kind. If you haven't lost your child yet though, then you probably aren't going to lose it."

Naruto growled at her. "Not 'it', Granny. 'Them'. I'm having three babies. Triplets. Sasuke saw them with his Sharingan. I'm not leaving until you've examined me, and made damn sure that none of them are YY babies." Tsunade gaped at him, like he'd just turned down an offer of free Ichiraku Ramen. "TRIPLETS!? We're going to have THREE little Narutos and Sasukes running around and tearing up the village?! That's an entire Genin team! There isn't a Jounin in all the five nations who could handle that! That's it, I'm retiring! I don't have the energy for this kind of shit anymore! Konoha is going to be in ruins within five years!"

Both young Sannin blushed as they pictured what their babies would look like for the first time, and thought of toddlers which had different combinations of their eye and hair colours. Sasuke pictured a baby with his dark navy hair and Naruto's lively blue eyes, and for the first time in his life he was so unbearably happy that his legs felt weak. Naruto saw a little girl, with red hair like his mother's, fiery black eyes, and an Uchiha smirk. He felt like his heart might literally explode from the amount of love and pride welling up in it. His blush extended all the way down his neck.

For the second baby, Sasuke thought of a child who looked like Itachi, and felt his heart twist in bittersweet pain. If that happened, a part of him would be very happy, and another part of him would be very sad, but which part would be bigger? Naruto pictured a teenage boy with long, straight, dark navy hair, and his mother's grey eyes. He'd be an elite Jounin at a young age, like Neji had been, like Sasuke would've been if he'd never left Konoha, and he'd have the mischievous grin Kushina had given to her son. Shit, every girl in the village would be falling at his feet, some of the boys too even.

For the third baby, Sasuke saw a tiny blonde boy with blue eyes, who wasn't a genius, but tried incredibly hard with everything he did, a miniature Naruto in every way. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and his heart almost gave out. The image was absolutely breath-taking. Naruto thought of a little Sasuke, one which grew up with a loving family, one who could become an adult without suffering all of the tragedy which had almost destroyed his father. A happy, healthy, whole version of Sasuke. He didn't even realise that he was silently crying until a bemused Tsunade handed him a tissue.

Naruto leaned back, relaxing his body against Sasuke's chest. "Oi, Sasuke, these are really going to be our kids. Our family. They're going to be beautiful and amazing, and really strong. We'll raise them together, and train them, and someday they'll get married and have kids of their own, and then we'll be old grandparents like Granny Tsunade. This is really happening, right? It's not just a dream I'm going to wake up from, right? I think if I woke up now, I might just die."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist from behind, and splayed his fingers on the blonde's slight bump. "It's not a dream, Naruto. Our kids will look like us, and behave like us, just like a real family, and they'll be as legendary as we ever were. They'll get lots of our good traits, and maybe they'll get a few of our bad traits too, but we'll guide them and give them everything we never had, and they'll grow up to be wonderful ninja, just like you."

Naruto closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Our sons will probably have fanclubs like you used to back in the Academy, and if we have a daughter we'll probably have to lock her up to keep her safe from all the creeps wanting to be her boyfriend. We'll need a dungeon, or a really tall tower with a dragon living at the bottom." Sasuke snorted at the idea. "Our daughter is going to have two Sannin fathers to protect her. All of the young men in the village will probably be too terrified of us to go anywhere near her." Naruto laughed, nodding with a wide grin, until he remembered why they were there. "AH! I got side-tracked! Granny, why didn't you tell me about the YY babies? You should have warned me!"

Tsunade heaved a sigh. "I didn't want to stress you out. It wouldn't be good for the babies. Besides, whether I told you about it or not wouldn't affect the sex genes your kids already had." Naruto's glare melted into a worried frown. "But I'm having three babies. That means there's a bigger chance I'm carry a YY baby, doesn't it?" Tsunade shook her head. "No, Naruto, that's not how it works. A baby gets its sex genes during conception, and unless you're having identical triplets, then each of your three conceptions was a separate event, which had nothing to do with each other. That means each of your babies only has a twenty-five percent chance of being YY. Iruka was just unlucky with his twins."

Naruto didn't really understand, but that didn't matter. He could just get Sasuke to explain it to him in more detail later. The important thing now was making sure that all of his kids were okay. He followed Tsunade to a small room down the hall, and hopped onto the examination table. He unzipped his tracksuit top, and pulled up his shirt. The entire time he was chewing his lower lip, worried about what Tsunade might be about to tell him. She spoke to him briefly before starting her examination. "It's still too early to tell the genders, you'll have to ask me about that in another month. What I can tell you though, is whether or not the babies are all developing normally. If one of them is YY, I should be able to tell."

Tsunade held her hand over Naruto's slight bump, and carefully sent out her chakra. She was soon smiling softly. "You were right, there are three babies in there. They all have strong little heartbeats." Naruto turned to Sasuke, smiling at the news. "That's good, right? It means they're healthy." Tsunade nodded her confirmation. "They'll all be incredible ninja someday. They have extraordinarily bright chakra signatures for their age. I haven't seen anything like it since I was in charge of Kakashi's mother when she was pregnant with him, and even he didn't have this much chakra so soon. Your babies are going to be real little terrors!"

Sasuke shot her an evil smirk, while Naruto grinned widely and chuckled. "Damn straight! So, definitely no YY babies then?" Tsunade gave them a rare bright smile. "Definitely no YY babies. They're all very healthy. Congratulations, Naruto. If you don't have any problems over the next five weeks, then your chances of delivering three perfectly healthy kids will vastly improve. Sasuke! If you put Naruto under any more stress, I will personally disembowel you!" Sasuke gave her a subtle nod, his expression solemn. "That's one mistake I don't plan on repeating."


	24. The King's Prince

**AN: Hello everyone! I'm introducing a new pairing this time. I really hope you like them. ^.^ For those of you wondering where all the KakaIru went, I promise I'll be getting back to them starting next chapter. There's also a smex scene coming up~~ Although that depends on how many reviews I get. *evil Uchiha smirk***

**Speaking of reviews... You know how I'm always talking about giving out gold stars? Well today I'm finally going to do it!**

**First I want to give a platinum star to my new Beta, wikedsinn. You're so awesome Sinn! I never could have made this chapter so awesome without your helpful advice! Please take care of the rest of this story too! (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) I hope you don't mind me telling everyone that your psychic iPod has recommended 'All I Have Left Is You' by The Offspring and Abba's 'Take A Chance On Me' for this chapter. I just couldn't resist sharing the awesomeness. ;-)**

**Gold stars go to my four most regular reviewers: littlewolfwindspeaker (12 reviews); Heart's Promise (11); mp. rago (11); and nequam-tenshi (8)**

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**If your name isn't on either list, and you want to see it there, all you've got to do is review. Many of you only need one or two more reviews to earn your stars! I really love handing out stars, so work hard okay? :-D**

**~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~**

The short redhead sighed deeply, and leaned back against a toned chest. The brunette behind him was a few years younger than him, still just a teen really, but he was already more muscled and taller than him. "Do you think he'll be okay? Those three left in such a hurry…" The brunette chuckled. "Of course he'll be okay. This is Boss we're talking about here. Now that he's got his Uchiha back, all is right with his world again. Those two were made for each other. Besides, Boss is indestructible." The redhead smiled. That much was certainly true. When the young brunette started running gentle, nimble fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp and then his shoulders, the redhead relaxed and melted against the body behind him.

"What will he do when he starts showing though? Won't it stir up trouble? Even Naruto has people he needs to be cautious of." The brunette pressed a reassuring kiss to the back of the shorter boy's neck. "Like I said, this is Boss we're talking about. I bet you he won't even have to hide from the Council, like poor Iruka-sensei. Those old farts are all way too terrified of Sasuke and Kurama to try any of their tricks. They won't want to risk getting killed like their predecessors. Granny Tsunade would never let them touch Boss's kids, either. She loves him like her own grandson."

The brunette almost thought his beloved had fallen asleep, but he suddenly spoke. "Do you think you'll ever want kids that much? That you'd even be willing to take medicine designed for panda bears on the slightest chance that it might work for humans?" The brunette hummed in thought, considering the question. "I know that I didn't have it nearly as bad growing up as you and Boss did, but for a few years it was pretty tough for me too. Everybody looked at me differently because of who my grandfather was. Besides, thanks to Orochimaru and Akatsuki, the only family I have left is my little cousin. I think it would be really nice to start a family of my own someday."

The redhead was hesitant, but he had to ask him. "With me?" The redhead cringed when his two words caused the brunette's muscles to stiffen in surprise, and possibly displeasure. "You… You want to have kids with me? Love, we can't even tell anybody that we're lovers! You have your responsibilities, and someday I'm going to have my own. Shit, I'm named after a different village for pity's sake! I'm not ready to give up my dreams of succeeding Boss as the Hokage someday, and it's not like you can just step down from your position as the Kazekage to be with the likes of me. I'm not even a woman. I love you, and you know that, but we can't even tell people we're a couple, forget marriage and children."

Gaara clenched his jaw, but his lover was right. Even Naruto didn't know about them. It wasn't that either of them was afraid of people finding out that they were gay, that wasn't much of a problem for them. Although it wasn't really considered a polite topic for conversation in Suna, nobody would speak against the Kazekage for it as long as he didn't let it get in the way of his duties, and everyone respected him too much for it to change their opinions of him. In Konoha, being gay wasn't really considered anything to make a fuss over, especially when everyone could see how amazing Naruto and Sasuke are as a couple.

Inter-village relationships weren't common, but as long as they were between allies, like Suna and Konoha, they weren't frowned upon, even between shinobi. The war had gone a long way to building bridges of trust and friendship between the Five Nations. No, the reason for their secrecy was much more complicated than that. The truth was, it was as though a King and an Heir Apparent to another country's throne were having a love affair.

As much as he loved Konohamaru, it was true that he couldn't just step down as the Kazekage. His village was too precious to him for that. Too many people were counting on him to shoulder the responsibility. It was a heavy burden, one few could carry. It wouldn't be fair of him to force it onto someone less capable than himself. Still, as many times as he made all of those arguments to himself, he still had dreams at night, of running away with his beloved, and settling down in a little cottage on the outskirts of a town neither of them had ever been to before.

Ever since Naruto's revelation that he'd found a way to get pregnant, his dreams had started to include domestic scenes of small red-headed children playing in the front garden, and a brunette baby drinking from a bottle in his arms. He could feel the precious infant's warmth, softness, and fragility almost as though it were more than just a dream. But it was impossible. Their relationship had been doomed to failure since before it even began. Gaara silently cursed his luck. If only Konohamaru had been born in Suna. If only the young Kazekage had been born in Konoha.

But he didn't even truly wish for those alternatives, because if either of them had been true, then he and his lover would both be two very different people today, and might not have wound up becoming lovers at all. It was a no-win situation, and Gaara absolutely hated it. He never should have shown his interest in the younger man, it would have saved them both a lot of heartache. But, four years ago, he never could have imagined that they would end up like this. Back then Konohamaru had just passed the Chuunin exam, and been appointed Konoha's regular emissary to Suna, just as Temari was Suna's ambassador to Konoha. It was supposed to help him improve his diplomatic skills, for when he became Hokage.

Naruto and Sasuke often accompanied him, Naruto wanted to visit Gaara, and he'd taken Konohamaru under his wing as a student, giving him special training. Sasuke just didn't want to be left behind in a village where everyone still looked at him with fear and suspicion. The four of them had often spent mealtimes together, and every time Naruto and Sasuke had snuck off to be alone for a few minutes, Gaara had been left sitting with Konohamaru.

The boy reminded him a lot of Naruto, but there was much more to him than that. He also had the underlying Sarutobi wisdom and insightfulness, that inner calm which Naruto sometimes lost sight of. Konohamaru really was just like a prince. He'd been drawn to the boy like a moth to a flame. He'd volunteered to help Naruto train him, sometimes finding time for one-on-one sessions, and one of those had somehow ended with Konohamaru's hand inside his shirt, and Gaara's tongue in the kid's mouth. He still wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he'd never looked back.

Thinking back on the last couple of years, he couldn't bring himself to regret a single moment of it. He'd never before loved anyone the way he loved Konohamaru. He was glad that his beloved couldn't see the tears running silently down his cheeks. He snuggled deeper into Konohamaru's warm embrace, and those strong arms tightened subtly around his waist. While he had his lover, he was going to enjoy him to the fullest, right up until the moment when they were forced apart by their parallel dreams.

**(I am an Uchiha page break. Look into my eyes…aren't they pretty?)**

It had become a habit when he was small, just after the Third Hokage had died. Whenever Konohamaru felt troubled or contemplative, he inevitably gravitated to the room in Hokage Tower where he'd spent the most time with his grandfather. Usually he'd been ambushing the old man. The memories would drape themselves over his mind, soothing him. He could imagine Hiruzen in the room with him, giving him advice, or just keeping him company. The room had been converted into a storage room for sensitive information soon after Tsunade had been made the Fifth Hokage.

The first time the ANBU guards had caught him sneaking into the room, they'd hauled him in front of Tsunade. To his and the guards' surprise, she'd understood and respected his connection to the space, and given him free reign of the room. The only condition had been that he not read any of the documents there, as they were for the Hokage's eyes only. But this was Konohamaru after all. He'd just told himself that he would be Hokage himself one day, so it didn't matter if he read some of it. He might as well get a head start, right? He was just careful to keep away from anything too sensitive, like mission reports.

So, on nights when he was feeling restless, and he couldn't sleep, he'd spend a few hours pacing the small room, pouring over classified documents. One night, one of those documents had been the transcript of Umino Iruka's medical examination on the day he'd discovered he was pregnant. He'd frozen mid-step, his eyes stuck on that single word. That was how he'd found out about his old sensei's secret, and Boss's. He'd sunk to the floor, his whole body trembling. His butt hit the wood a little harder than he'd meant to, but he didn't feel the pain. He'd just sat there for hours, reading the same pages over and over again, until he'd memorized every word.

The next day Konohamaru was back, staring at the small sachet of medicine in his hand. He quietly swore. Over the years it had become a game between him and Naruto, sneaking into each others' apartments without getting caught, laying practical joke traps, and taking trinkets as a trophy if they were successful. It was designed to hone the youngster's skills as a ninja, and to keep Naruto on his toes. Three months ago the trinket he'd stolen was this harmless-looking little packet of medicinal tea. At the time he'd just thought it was for headaches or anxiety, but now he knew the truth.

Suddenly he remembered the little wooden box he'd taken the medicine from. The lacquer pattern on the lid, of pandas in a bamboo forest, held a new significance now. Kami help him, but he wanted to slip Gaara the tea. It would probably be in violation of any number of laws, and wreck the solid treaty between Suna and Konoha. It would probably tear their already-fragile relationship to shreds. But all he could think about was Gaara, his belly swelled with Konohamaru's child, or Gaara with a warm smile on his face, holding a tiny baby with light brown hair and pale green eyes, or Gaara teaching a red-headed, brown-eyed toddler how to walk or read.

He'd been dreaming about it every night for two weeks already, it was driving him crazy. Still, it would be far crazier to dare go through with it. Gaara would know immediately, who was responsible. What if he was sentenced to death for treason or something? What if his selfish actions sparked another war? It was one thing for Naruto to intentionally drink the tea, with full knowledge of the implications and possible risks, and for Iruka-sensei to be unintentionally exposed to it. It would be something else entirely to deceive Gaara into taking the medicine.

What did they even really know about the compound? He remembered the words in his head, Iruka telling Tsunade about how, after drinking the tea, he'd become ill and wracked with such terrible pain that it caused him to lose consciousness. Tsunade's side-note had commented that the pain was most likely due to the extreme physical changes the tea was making to the Academy Teacher's body, in order for him to be capable of conceiving and safely carrying a baby.

What if it turned out to be dangerous, lethal even? Then it would be like he'd poisoned his lover. The very idea made him shudder with disquiet. Hadn't Gaara's mother died from childbirth? What if that sort of thing was genetic? His mind was plagued with images of a pale redhead on the brink of death, smiling weakly at him. Gaara had already died once, long before he'd known him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him now. Still, he didn't put the teabag away. He just kept watching the deceptively innocuous little parcel, as though waiting for it to tell him the answers to his questions.


	25. Takeshi and Namiko

**AN: For this week's soundtrack, my beta wikedsinn's clairvoyant iPod recommends 'Love Resurrection' by Alison Moyet, 'Pray For Rain' by The Comsat Angels, 'Whispering Your Name', also by Alison Moyet, and 'Will You Stay Tonight', also by The Comsat Angels. In that order. It's an 80s revival! Yays!**

**Sorry if it gets a bit confusing. If anyone has suggestions for making it a little easier to follow, I'm all ears. ;-)**

Kakashi was sitting on the sofa, waiting to see Iruka's new 'Umino Namiko' disguise. He was wearing civilian clothes as well. His mission was to be in charge of surveillance and reconnaissance of Wave Country, to keep his eyes and ears to the ground, and watch the black market. Anything Konoha needed to know about, would be his responsibility to find out and report on. Of course, he couldn't do that as Sharingan Kakashi the infamous Copy nin, he was much too recognisable to get close enough to any major schemers and plots.

That was why he was wearing civilian clothes, a bandanna instead of his usual mask, and an ordinary eye-patch. A small henge hid the scar which ran down his face. He'd even brushed his hair back, although it still did its best to defy gravity, and made three small braids which hung down against his right temple, with Sakura's help. Each one was tied at the end with a short, thin, dark blue ribbon. His cover story was that he was Namiko's boyfriend, Hirako Takeshi, who'd moved with her from Konoha so they wouldn't have to be apart. He didn't have a job, but liked to gamble. The best place to get valuable information in villages like this one, were seedy gambling dens.

With his skills as a ninja, and genius-level intelligence, it was very easy for him to manipulate how much he won or lost. The trick to not getting caught was simple, he just had to not get greedy. He'd only win a little most nights, and sometimes he'd lose a little. Once or twice he'd get lucky, or lose a lot, but not often enough to make anyone suspicious. It was an easy way to earn living expenses for him and Iruka, seeing as Namiko's teaching job didn't pay much, and they'd only get paid for their missions when they returned to Konoha at the end of their two-year jobs. In the mean time they were going to need a way to buy groceries and baby supplies, while also paying their rent and utility bills.

Sure, Kakashi was very wealthy as the last surviving Hatake, and an ex-ANBU Jounin. He'd never really spent much money, since his only hobby was reading cheap porn, and he'd never had an interest in living in luxury. He was content with his tiny apartment which he hardly ever used anyway. He just kept putting all of his mission earnings in his savings account, and it had grown quite impressively over the years. But that didn't fit his cover as a layabout, so he had to be careful not to use too much of his savings while they were living here.

Just then Iruka emerged from the bedroom, tugging on floral cotton fabric and swearing. "Shit! This is so freaking embarrassing! And it feels so bloody weird!" He was wearing his hair down, make-up was concealing the scar across his nose, he wore eye-liner, and his lips were painted with red lipstick. He looked surprisingly beautiful as a woman. Kakashi chuckled at his blushing lover. "Now now, Honey. That's no way for a young woman to talk." Iruka shot him a lethal glare. "Fuck you Hatake! You're not the one who has to wear a dress and a padded bra! I've got make-up on for fuck's sake! Next time YOU are drinking the goddamn panda tea!"

Kakashi choked on the tea he'd just taken a sip of, coughing and spluttering, getting his bandanna all wet. Damn, he'd have to change it soon. Iruka hadn't really been thinking about what he was saying, he'd just blurted it out, but Kakashi's powerful reaction made him pause and think about it carefully. Suddenly, an image popped into his mind, of a heavily-pregnant Hatake Kakashi, wearing the same manual disguise of a woman's clothes, padded bra, and make-up. He clapped a hand over his mouth, and his cheeks started getting red. His entire body was trembling with suppressed humour. The blush spread right to his neck, and he just couldn't contain it anymore.

He exploded with laughter, collapsing to his knees, tears streaming down his face. His guffaws could be heard for half a mile in every direction. He was laughing so much, he couldn't breathe. It took him several minutes to calm down. "Kakashi… in a dress… with a nine-month baby bump! Gahahahahaha! Oh crap that's funny! Bahahahahahaha! Bright red lipstick and eyeliner! Oh shit! Pffffft! Hahahahaha!" The tanned Chuunin was clutching his sides, wheezing and gasping for breath, desperately trying to calm down before he hyperventilated and passed out. It was a struggle.

A vein in Kakashi's temple started twitching with annoyance, but he couldn't stay cross for long. It was good to see Iruka smiling again. It had been almost a week now since he'd last seen his lover looking so happy. He sighed, and smiled wryly. He was tempted, but he didn't tell the brunette 'Then just imagine what YOU are going to look like seven months from now, my wife.' Besides, somehow he didn't look forward to getting killed by the hormonal, emotional spitfire, or getting banished to the couch for the next decade. He rather enjoyed spending each night curled up with his lover. "Yes yes, absolutely hilarious. I'm glad you're happy, Ruka."

Just then Sakura emerged from the room where she'd been helping Iruka with his disguise. "Oi, Takeshi-kun, you're supposed to call her Namiko-chan now. It would be dangerous if anyone overheard you calling her by her other name." Kakashi nodded at his ex-student. "Ah yes, you're absolutely right Sakura-chan. Thank you for reminding me. Well then Namiko-chan, how would you like to join me for supper? I'm buying."

'Namiko' sighed, and linked 'her' arm with 'Takeshi's'. With any luck, it would pour with rain whenever 'she' had to step outside, and nobody would see 'her' dressed like this. If only she knew some good storm jutsus. Maybe she could ask Kakashi to use one? The Copy Nin had to have at least _one_ somewhere up his sleeve. "Oh, all right. But no fish! I've heard it's bad for pregnant people." Kakashi blinked at the pretty brunette. "No fish? In Wave Country? I wonder why Tsunade-sama sent us here…"

Sakura laughed at the pair. "Fish is fine, it's only _raw_ fish and _shellfish_ that you have to avoid, Namiko-chan. Well, if Takeshi-kun is buying our meals, then I'll buy the drinks and desserts. I feel like celebrating. After all, I've successfully created Namiko-chan, a beauty who everyone will think is a woman. I wouldn't even be surprised if Takeshi-kun suddenly found that he had some competition for her affections." Kakashi glared at her, while Iruka just raised a sceptical eyebrow.

**(I am a fan girl page break. POOOOOORN!)**

Iruka was very pleased with the restaurant Kakashi had found for them. It was semi-formal, but the atmosphere was light and comfortable. It was very suitable for celebrating. They all ordered their meals, and Sakura ordered a bottle of sake. He sighed, and resigned himself to a night of fighting back nausea. "I knew Tsunade-sama would be a bad influence on you. You'd best be careful Sakura-chan, or you might become a drunkard like her." Sakura forced a grin in his direction, even as a vein in her temple throbbed visibly. "You really shouldn't talk about your Hokage that way, Namiko-sensei. Besides, I've never had more than one bottle on a work-night. I haven't forgotten that we're both starting our new jobs tomorrow."

Iruka made no attempt to hide his relief. If he never saw another sake cup in his life, it would be too soon. It made him blanch just thinking about all of the times he'd gotten drunk on the stuff in the past. It seemed ironic that one of those times had landed him in his current situation. Kakashi watched the two interact with a hidden smile, but in Iruka's peripheral vision he could see the twinkling in the Jounin's one exposed eye.

The night went very well. Sakura kept her promise to stick to one bottle, and when it had arrived at their table she'd been quick to place it as far from Iruka as possible to spare his sensitive nose. The three had fallen into conversation with ease, and everyone had managed to keep the topics light and fluffy, with plenty of humour thrown in. Sakura knew a wonderful number of funny stories, mostly revolving around Sasuke and Naruto. She held no resentment for either of them. Besides, she had Lee now, and she knew almost as many funny stories about him.

When it was his turn to steer the conversation, Kakashi told stories from when he was young, from before Obito had died. The first time he'd brought it up, Iruka had sent him a worried look, but the Jounin had simply smiled, and told him that it was important not to forget the good times. The soft smile the Chuunin had shown him had felt like a warm ray of sunshine, melting away some of the coldness in his heart. Of course, Iruka knew more stories than any of them. As a teacher, he got a new bunch of pre-Genin every year, and every one of them provided their own set of humorous anecdotes, only half of which Kakashi could bring himself to believe.

It wasn't just the funny stories Kakashi had a little trouble swallowing though. "Right, I thought so too! But then the little Hyuuga starts using his Gentle Fist on the kid, and hitting his tenketsu, and all I could think was, 'Crap! He's going to do serious damage to the little Inuzuka!' So I stepped in and broke them up. Neji only got a couple of blows in before I got to Kiba, but I still had the Academy's Medic-nin take a look at him. You can't be too careful when it comes to Gentle Fist." Sakura and Kakashi both blinked at the teacher in surprise. "What about you, Sensei? Didn't Neji hurt you?" Iruka looked at her, puzzled, and she returned the expression.

"Sakura-chan, I've been trained to handle geniuses from every clan in Konoha. Every summer holidays I spend a month with any clan which will be sending me a prodigy soon, brushing up on those skills. How else can I be their teacher, when I have to keep them from trying to kill each other on a semi-regular basis? Why do you think I was chosen to teach them in the first place? Being a Konoha Academy Teacher isn't something to scoff at, even if I'm only training pre-Genins." Kakashi's eye widened slightly, suddenly seeing the Chuunin in a new light. He'd never realised just how amazing Iruka was for being able to do the job he did.

Then Iruka opened his mouth again, and told Kakashi that he was the same man he'd fallen in love with, just trickier than even he had ever imagined. "Besides, it doesn't hurt that I was an utter hellion in my own youth, much worse than any kid I've ever had to teach, so I already know all the tricks and pranks those buggers always try inside and out. Their mischief is as familiar to me as the faces of the five Hokage. The other teachers are always complimenting me on my very creative and effective methods of punishment, like the time when I re-rigged Konohamaru's prank to spring on him instead of me, and found a way to use it in my lecture on setting traps for the enemy."

Kakashi snorted with mirth. "And to think that everyone used to call Naruto a fox. You're the real kitsune, Namiko. You're more of a tanuki than Gaara." Iruka winked at him cheekily. "Damn straight I am. Be careful not to forget it, or you might just find the traps on your favourite apartment window switched around again. I'd hate to have to release you from your own chakra-wire net for a _second_ time." Kakashi shook his head at the Chuunin, smiling wryly behind his bandanna, while Sakura hid her own smirk behind one hand.


	26. Dreamy Days and Nightmares

**AN: Congratulations to Amy-Kate-chan Storys! This week you've earned your silver star for being an awesome reviewer! You too can earn silver and gold stars by becoming a regular reviewer. Two of you are already just one review away from your gold stars, and four of you are only one review away from your silver stars. Please keep working hard! Your dedication to this story really encourages me to keep writing. I love you guys!**

**~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~**

Kakashi whistled a light-hearted tune as he strolled in the direction of the new Ninja Academy, two large cloth-wrapped bento boxes in one hand. Iruka would be going on break soon, it was almost lunchtime. He wanted to hear all about how Iruka's first day at work in the new village was going. He rounded the corner, and spotted his lover through a window. The poor man was dressed as Namiko again, but his embarrassment had vanished. He seemed completely oblivious to it, his face set in 'teacher mode'. He was turned to face the chalkboard, pointing out something to his new class, when a scrunched-up ball of paper was chucked at his head by one of the naughtier children.

Without even looking, Iruka caught the projectile with one hand, and sent it flying back to hit the thrower on the head. The boy yelped, and rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, while the entire class laughed at him. Iruka turned then, and smirked sadistically at the boy, the look in his eyes promising tortuous pain. Kakashi couldn't hear what he said to him, but the boy froze solid and paled. Kakashi chuckled, a warmth growing in his heart. It was exactly like the times when he'd watched the Chuunin teaching in Konoha, perched on the branch outside his classroom window, waiting for his shift to end so he could invite the brunette out for ramen. He'd heard from Naruto how much the teacher loved the stuff.

He found a new perch to watch Iruka from, and balanced expertly on the small branch, laying on his side with his head propped up by his left arm. He could watch his lover all day, and never get tired of it. He didn't have to wait long before the bell sounded out, telling everyone in the building that it was time for their lunch break. Children came pouring out into the yard, and Iruka gave a weary sigh as he sank into the chair behind his desk. Kakashi took that as his cue, and made his entrance through the window with a friendly "Yo." Namiko smiled without even looking up at him. For some reason she looked like she was trying not to laugh. Kakashi paused to look at her, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Was it something I said?"

Namiko just shook her head at him, still wearing that laughing smile. "I was just thinking that you never change, Takeshi. All you're missing is one of your Icha Icha books, but if you brought one out in my classroom, I'd have to kill you. By the way, you've got twigs and leaves in your hair." Kakashi blinked at the schoolteacher, before his eye curved up in a sheepish smile. "Maaah. Thanks for pointing that out, Sensei. I don't suppose you could help me get rid of them? In exchange, I brought us some bentos. Sakura made most of them, but I wanted to help, so she let me cook the rice. It came out quite well."

Namiko blushed, her smile softening into something more tender, and beckoned Kakashi over to her desk. He grabbed one of the children's chairs as he went, turning it around so that he sat straddling it, with his arms and chin resting on the backrest. Namiko's nimble fingers carefully threaded through his hair, extracting bits of plant-life with the ease of long practice. Kakashi realised that she probably did have plenty of practice, doing this for the children. Still, he just sighed, closed his eye, and nuzzled into the touch. "I love your hands, Namiko."

With his eye closed, he didn't see Namiko blush, hesitate, then quickly dart in for a light kiss to his cloth-covered lips. Still, Kakashi didn't open his eye. He just grinned widely enough for it to show even through the material, and purred contentedly like a cat sleeping in the sun. Even after Namiko had plucked the last twig from the Jounin's unruly hair, her hands lingered in the surprisingly soft silver tresses, massaging Kakashi's scalp.

She wanted to keep him purring. She really REALLY loved that sound. It vibrated up her arm, and sent a shudder through her whole body. She jumped, startled when he spoke. "You know, if you keep doing that I might just have to take you right here on your desk." She jerked her hand back with a squeak, then glared death at him. "You wouldn't DARE! This is a classroom for crying out loud! If I won't let you read your Icha Icha in here, what on Earth makes you think I'd let you do THAT in here?" Kakashi chuckled at her indignation. "Shall we have our lunches now, Namiko?" The brunette huffed at him, but accepted the handsome cherry-wood bento she was offered.

**(I am a mommy page break. Brush your teeth)**

It was close to dusk, and Iruka was running through the woods on the outskirts of Konoha. 'Eh? Konoha?' What was he doing back here? He wasn't running towards the village, because that would put the civilians in danger. That's right, he was being pursued. Who was chasing him? He wasn't sure. But then he spotted Kakashi, standing up ahead, just a few meters away, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Kakashi would defeat his attackers. He was safe now. 'Only…' Why wasn't Kakashi running towards him? The Jounin was just standing there. Maybe he didn't realise that his lover was in trouble. That had to be it.

He wasn't even wearing his mask. How strange. But it was nice being able to see his smile, so warm and reassuring. Iruka ran closer and closer, until he could've touched Kakashi if he'd just reached out an arm. But, a mere instant before something heavy thudded into his back, piercing deeply into his flesh, Kakashi's smile changed. It twisted into something cold and malicious. The look in his one visible eye had sharpened into something painfully cruel. The weight of the giant shuriken hitting him threw him forward, onto his hands and knees. Just before his hand could make contact with his lover's body, Kakashi poofed into a cloud of smoke. 'What the…? A Shadow Clone?'

He could hear footsteps now. His enemy had caught up with him. He turned around to face them, grabbing a kunai from his thigh holster as he did so. He was in too much pain to stand, but he wasn't going to just lay there and die. He had too much to live for. He had to survive, for the sake of the baby he was carrying. He didn't have a bump yet, but he could feel the tell-tale spark of chakra, a little bundle of warmth just below his navel. His opponent stepped out of the shadows, and Iruka's entire body froze. The kunai he was holding slipped out of his hand as his grip went slack with shock. 'Ka… Kakashi?'

It wasn't just the Jounin though. He was dragging along an eleven-year-old, green-goggle-wearing Naruto by his short blond spikes. The pre-Genin Naruto was struggling and yelling, but it was having no effect on the Jounin holding him captive. Slung over his shoulder was a giant scroll, the one Naruto had naïvely stolen for him. 'No, this is all wrong! Mizuki was the one who tricked Naruto! He must be wearing a henge!' Kakashi laughed, as though he'd heard Iruka's thoughts. It sounded so hollow and ominous. Iruka had never heard him laugh like that before, and he never wanted to again.

The Jounin strolled forward, as though he hadn't a care in the world, dragging little Naruto along. When he was standing just in front of him he crouched down on his haunches, picked up the kunai he'd dropped, and used it to slit Naruto's throat wide open before flinging the boy's corpse aside. Iruka stared, transfixed. He'd never been so horrified in his entire life. His chest was cold and tight. All comprehension fled his brain. 'What's happening? What is this? He's not really Kakashi, right? It's Mizuki in a henge. He has to be!'

Kakashi smiled that same cold, sadistic smirk which his clone had, but thankfully his mask was hiding it. Iruka could still see it in his eye though. "Thank you so much, Ruka. You've been such a help to me, bringing me the scroll, and Naruto. My mission is a total success, thanks to you. Orochimaru is going to be very pleased with me, when I return to his base." Iruka's brows furrowed in confusion. 'Orochimaru? That bastard's dead! Sasuke killed him!'

But Kakashi wasn't finished talking. "Oh? You didn't know? He's been revived. That white snake will never really die. He approached me just after my father killed himself, and I've been working for him as his spy ever since. He's finally decided to bring me in though. He doesn't need me in Konoha anymore, because tomorrow there'll be nothing left of the village but blood and rubble. Still, I couldn't leave without the scroll he needs, and Naruto's head. It would be a little inconvenient if the Kyuubi helped to defend the village. I'm almost going to miss it, you know, my mission was fun while it lasted. You were a pretty decent fuck, Ruka. There's just one last thing I have to do before I go. I'll be taking this back now."

As he spoke, his hands formed seals. Chakra ropes sprang up and wrapped themselves around Iruka's arms, binding him tightly. One of them wrapped around the huge shuriken in his back, forcing the sharp metal in deeper. Iruka struggled to bite back a scream. He coughed, and felt hot blood drip down his chin. When he couldn't move, Kakashi pulled up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan before reaching out and pulling Iruka's shirt up, exposing his stomach. Just after he'd finished speaking, he thrust the bloodied kunai he was still holding deep into Iruka's belly, directly into the baby. Iruka felt its little spark flicker and die.

Iruka shot up in bed, drenched in sweat, on the verge of hyperventilating. His eyes were wide and wild, his ears were ringing loudly. His whole body was shaking. He sensed movement to his left, and he didn't even register his hand grabbing the kunai he kept under his side of the mattress, until he could feel the cold metal beneath his fingers. He swung out blindly, before shuffling back to press against the headboard. He was still breathing loudly, struggling to take in air. 'Where am I? Who's there?' He tried to voice his questions, but his throat wasn't working. His empty hand shot up to feel it, to make sure that there was nothing there trying to choke him. His mind was still fuzzy and confused from his nightmare.


	27. Kakashi's Compassion

**AN: Thanks once again to my fantastic beta, wikedsinn! She is so awesome, she's really helped me with this story. As for this chapter... You didn't really think I was just going to give Iruka that terrible nightmare, and just leave it at that, right? I love Iruka just as much as you guys, you know. ;-)**

**Please keep reviewing, they are the ambrosia which keeps me alive and breathing! I love my reviewers so much! I'll be handing out stars again next chapter, so please work hard everybody! *hugs***

Kakashi was woken by Iruka shifting and mumbling in his sleep. He was only able to make out a handful of words, like 'clone', 'Mizuki', 'henge', and 'dead', but they made no sense to him. Still, he figured that a dream involving that traitor Mizuki couldn't be a very pleasant one. He'd seen the massive scar that son-of-a-bitch had put on his precious Iruka's back. He was having a nightmare, then. As far as he could tell, it was the first one Iruka was having since they'd been sleeping together. At least, it was the first one which had been bad enough to wake him up.

Once, they'd been relaxing on the couch in Iruka's apartment. Iruka had been dozing with his head in Kakashi's lap while the Jounin read a book, and Kakashi had heard Iruka muttering something about Naruto mistaking him for a giant bowl of ramen and trying to eat him, but that nightmare hadn't seemed to last very long. This time it was different. Iruka seemed to be getting more and more distressed, kicking at the sheets, and pulling away from his usual spot cuddled up against his lover. He was sweating, and his breathing was getting faster and shallower.

Just as he tried to reach out a soothing hand, the brunette shot up in bed, looking like he'd just escaped a massacre, and expected an ANBU to pop up any second to finish him off. Kakashi tried to edge closer to him, but if it hadn't been for his expert reflexes he would've lost fingers to the kunai that swung at him. When had Iruka grabbed a kunai? Crap. What was he supposed to do now? If he tried to disarm Iruka, the Chuunin might panic, and someone could get hurt.

If he tried to calm the man down, Iruka might mistake him for the enemy in his dream, and try to kill him. Not good. But being that distressed and tightly-wound couldn't be good for his body, which meant it was bad for the baby, and Kakashi knew that Iruka would want him to do whatever he could to keep the baby safe. He got up and put the light on, hoping that would help, then returned to the bed, ready to dodge Iruka's kunai if he threw it at him. He spoke quietly to the frightened man, in a low, soothing voice. "It's okay Iruka, you're alright. It's just me, Kakashi, and nobody is going to hurt you. You just had a nightmare, that's all. You're perfectly safe. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

Iruka looked at him, his breathing was starting to calm down, but he was still shaking, and he wasn't lowering his kunai. "Stay away from me! You killed Naruto!" Kakashi froze. He did what now? "No I didn't Iruka, it was just a nightmare. Naruto is alive and safe. Nobody killed him." Iruka shook his head in vehement denial. "You're working for Orochimaru! You're his spy!" Kakashi sighed. How the hell did Iruka's brain come up with that crap? "Orochimaru died a long time ago, Iruka. I'm loyal to Konoha, to the Hokage. I'm not a spy."

Iruka was still brandishing the kunai at him, but a sliver of doubt surfaced in his eyes. "It was YOU! You took the scroll and slit Naruto's throat! There was so much blood…" A sob escaped him, but he kept rambling. "You said I brought them to you! You USED me! I thought it was Mizuki using a henge at first, but it was YOU! You BETRAYED me!" So, that was what Iruka's worst nightmares were about? Being betrayed by him? He wasn't sure whether he should be happy or upset about that. Right now though, he didn't have time to be either. "Iruka, I would never do that. You know I wouldn't. I love you. It was only a nightmare. Put down the kunai."

Iruka shook his head again, but his resolve seemed to weaken. His hands were shaking much more violently now, and his breaths were hitching in shuddering sobs. "You killed our baby. You said you were taking it back before you left Konoha, and you stabbed my stomach." Kakashi's naturally pale skin turned grey. How could Iruka imagine such a thing, even in his worst nightmares? Just the thought of it was making him sick to his stomach. The more he thought about it, the worse it got, until he found himself staggering into the bathroom. He yanked down his mask just in time, before retching into the toilet-bowl. There went his dinner.

He flinched when he heard Iruka walk in behind him, but he didn't look at the Chuunin. "Kashi? Are you okay?" His voice sounded so small, like a child's. There was worry, too. Good. The hardened part of Kakashi's heart thought that Iruka deserved to sound like that after saying such a thing. He didn't answer him, but he managed to stop heaving. He washed his mouth out in the sink, and dried his face with the hand-towel. He didn't bother pulling his mask back up yet though, just in case. "Have you woken up yet? Or do you still think I killed our baby?" He looked up, only to see Iruka shrink away from him. Well, at least he wasn't holding a weapon anymore. That was progress.

Kakashi sighed deeply; he was suddenly bone-tired. What the hell was he doing, getting mad with Iruka over a nightmare? That was something the brunette had no control over. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't snap out of it, either. If he'd had a nightmare that awful himself, and Kakashi knew damn well that he'd had plenty of them back in his ANBU days, then he would've been traumatized for a few minutes after he'd woken up too. Iruka would never in a million years accuse him of such a thing if he was in his right mind. He was being ridiculous.

His poor lover was standing there in his blue pyjama pants with his head down, and his long, thick brown hair covering his eyes, just like a frightened kid. "I'm sorry, Kashi. It just felt so real. I felt the baby's chakra flicker out, and something in me just… broke. I can't lose my family again, I just can't… But it wasn't real. I know you would never do such a terrible thing. I'm sorry." Guilt settled on Kakashi's chest like a fat tomcat settling in for a nap. "No, love, it wasn't your fault. You had a really awful nightmare; I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. It could just as easily have been me, having a nightmare like that. Are you feeling okay now?"

Iruka nodded, but he was still trembling. Kakashi sighed again, and pulled Iruka into a gentle hug. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Iruka's grip on his black, sleeveless, ANBU-like pyjama top tightened for a moment. "Do you… Do you think you could take a look and just… just check that the baby is still there?" Kakashi pulled away, and slipped off the eye-patch he always wore to bed. He knelt down on his knees in front of Iruka, and opened his eye to reveal his Sharingan. It only took a second to find the tiny spark, he'd already memorized its exact location. He smiled warmly, and kissed Iruka's skin before looking up at his face. "It's still there, Ruka, safe and sound."

Iruka melted to the floor, tears pouring down his face. One hand covered his lips, trying to muffle his whimpering sobs, his relief completely overwhelming him. "Thank Kami! Oh thank Kami! Kashi, I was so sure the baby was dead! I thought that the dream was my brain's way of telling me that the other baby had died while I was sleeping! I can't lose them both, Kashi, I just can't. I was so scared." Kakashi shuddered, he didn't even want to imagine how awful that must have been for his lover. And to think he'd gotten angry with him… He felt like such an asshole now.

He quickly put his eye-patch back on, then wrapped his arms around Iruka and held him against his chest, stroking his hands over his back in soothing caresses. When his knees started protesting being on the cold tiles, he picked up his lover with a quiet grunt, and carried him to the bed. He didn't mind hefting his heavy lover, but if Iruka put on any more muscle, he might have to use his chakra to lift the gorgeous Chuunin. He lay the brunette down on the bed, but he just curled into a ball the moment Kakashi let go of him.

He could see that Iruka was still thinking about that fucked-up nightmare, and decided to make it his mission to distract him until he was relaxed enough to fall asleep again. Thank goodness it was a Saturday, so Iruka wouldn't have to be up early to get to work. He closed his eyes, and concentrated on his chakra, gathering small amounts of it in the tips of his fingers, until they glowed green.

When he was ready, he spoke in the same tone of voice that he'd used before, low and gentle, like he was talking to a wounded animal. "You know, if I wasn't so amazing at fighting, and I'd had the time, I could have trained as a medic. My chakra control is almost as good as Sakura's. Icha Icha Violence taught me something pretty interesting though. Good chakra control is useful for more than just fighting and healing, it can also be used to give amazing massages. I always knew that Jiraiya was a real genius. Try to relax, and let my fingers work their magic."

Iruka smiled shakily up at him, and nodded. "Just… Could you keep talking? Listening to your voice is helping." Kakashi smirked for him. "Oh really? Then how about I recite some Icha Icha for you? They're the only books I know by heart." Iruka blushed, but nodded his agreement. Kakashi signalled him to turn around, and Iruka obeyed without hesitation. The Jounin started with his lover's shoulders, kneading the stiff muscles with just enough pressure for it to not be painful. At the same time he sent pulses of hot, soothing chakra deep into the tense flesh, completely relaxing the muscles once they'd gotten used to the heat.

Kakashi started from the beginning of Icha Icha Violence, reciting it perfectly word for word, and even doing different voices for the different speakers. The squeaky voice he did for the story's Kunoichi made Iruka snort with amusement, though it was quickly followed by a sigh of appreciation as all of his tension drained from his shoulders. It felt like they were melting. It was absolutely wonderful. "Keep going, Kashi. Please."

Kakashi smirked. His plan was working. He moved his fingers down to massage Iruka's back, paying special attention to the gnarled scar just along the side of his spine. Another inch to the right, and Iruka could've been permanently paralyzed, or killed, but there was no point in holding a grudge against a dead man, so he let go of his anger towards Mizuki. He moved along to page three, where the book's Kunoichi was meeting the story's villain for the first time. He was one of those characters who started out acting nice, but still gave the heroine the creeps. Kakashi pulsed healing chakra into the sensitive pale mark on Iruka's back over and over again, until the brunette was gasping and whimpering at the ticklish sensation.


	28. Lee Drops In

**AN: Hello my lovelies! Since I'm currently enjoying my school holidays I have lots of spare time on my hands for writing at the moment, and luckily inspiration is no longer playing hide-and-seek with me anymore. This means that I will be updating every single monday for the forseeable future. Hopefully this will brighten up mondays for those of you poor souls who have real jobs. **

**I want to thank my fabulous beta, wikedsinn, who did an awesome job as usual on this. The whole second half was written mostly at her suggestion. I hope I did her proud. And now, as promised last week, I'm handing out stars! Yays! Ultimashadow and xpegasus have both earned their silver stars! Congratulations! If you don't see your name here, and you want to, all you need to do is review on a regular basis. Getting your questions, opinions, suggestions, and even your criticism, really brightens my entire day, and keeps me motivated to continue with this story. I really love you guys!**

**~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~ X ~**

When Kakashi was finally done with the scar it had faded a little, and Icha Icha's Kaede had unmasked the villain's secret plot to kill the daimyo's son. If they repeated this enough times, someday the scar would disappear altogether, and Iruka would have nothing left to remind him of the terrible night when Mizuki had betrayed him. He made a promise to himself then, that he would definitely heal Iruka's scar for him, no matter how long it took. It was too much for just one night though, not without using up a sizeable chunk of his chakra, and it would take far too many hours to finish all in one sitting.

So he moved his fingers down again, stroking Iruka's lower back, and snaking around his waist to ghost over his abs. Iruka shuddered at the sensation, and let out a quiet moan. When the sound made Kakashi pause in his rendition, Iruka leant back to press against his chest. "What happens next, Kashi? Does Kaede sleep with Yuuto?" Kakashi chuckled. "We're only half-way through the story, Ruka. Take off your pyjamas and lie down. I want to massage your legs too."

Iruka just nodded, too relaxed to talk. He unfolded his legs, and Kakashi helped lift his body off the bed by his hips so he could push his pyjamas pants down and peel them off. When he was naked, he lay down on his front, hugging a pillow the way he sometimes hugged Kakashi when he fell asleep on his chest after they had sex. The sight made Kakashi lick his lips. He shifted down the bed, and started carefully ministering to Iruka's calf muscles, taking his time and slowly working his way up to the Chuunin's impressive thighs.

He kept talking as he worked. At first Yuuto was intimidated by Kaede's abilities as a shinobi, and Kaede looked down on him for his sheltered lifestyle and obedient nature, thinking he was weak. She didn't start to fall in love with him until she unintentionally overheard him standing up to his father, threatening to throw away his title, family name, and fortune if he was forbidden from being with her. She didn't know that he'd seen her three days before, helping a kitten she'd found abandoned in the rain, and fallen in love with her.

Kakashi worked hard on each of Iruka's toned caramel legs as he spoke, but he didn't stop there. He kept going, until he was massaging Iruka's tight ass. The brunette moaned, and spread his legs without thinking, revealing his hidden pucker. Kakashi ran a single finger over it, making the ring of muscles clench and quiver. He had to bite back a groan. He paused his story for a second to bring that finger to his mouth, and quickly coat it in his saliva, before leaning forward and inserting the digit. Iruka shuddered and moaned, but he didn't protest. It seemed he'd fallen half-asleep. He was still listening though. "Don't stop talking, Kashi. What happens next? This is where the porn comes in, right?"

Kakashi snorted. "Don't worry, Ruka. I'm not finished with you yet." At the same time as he slowly and gently pumped his finger inside Iruka's hole, easing and loosening the muscles with those pulses of hot chakra, he continued the story. Iruka wasn't far off the mark, to be honest. They'd gotten to the pages where Icha Icha Violence earned its "no under-twenty readers" rating. Kaede was taking the lead, since she had more experience than Yuuto, but he wasn't just laying back and leaving it all to her, either. He was touching her all over, learning her sweet spots, while enjoying her neck with his mouth. Maybe it was because he was Japanese, but Yuuto had always been fascinated by women's necks.

Kakashi used an old trick he'd taught himself, converting some of the chakra he was emitting into water to lubricate Iruka's entrance while he massaged the soft walls. He patiently waited until he could fit three fingers, talking all the while, then he changed the nature of the chakra pulsing from his fingers, so that it tingled slightly with electricity. He found Iruka's prostate, and sent out strong pulses of hot, tingly chakra. Iruka's eyes shot open, as he cried out at the sensation. "Kakashi! What the hell was that?!" Kakashi smirked at his startled lover, and pulled him over to lie on his back. "That, Ruka, was the ultimate perk of having a lover with Lightning-based chakra. That was also just the beginning. Relax and enjoy, my love."

Kakashi propped Iruka's legs on his shoulders, and placed one hand under his lower back. He sent those chakra pulses deeper, attacking the Chuunin's prostate from the outside this time, while his other hand lined up his cock at Iruka's entrance. He'd been rock hard for the last half an hour, just from touching all of that bare mocha-coloured skin, and listening to Iruka's moans. He had no trouble slipping inside his lover. Iruka had grown used to accepting his exceptionally large length over the last few weeks. He still started out slowly though, he never wanted to be too rough with him. Not until he knew he would be able to handle it, and certainly not while he was still pregnant.

While his right hand kept pulsing chakra into Iruka's lower back, his left hand moved to grip Iruka's quickly stiffening length, assaulting it in the same manner. Iruka yelped, and shot out a hand to fist in the silver hair at the back of his neck. "Didn't Tsunade have a fling with a daimyo's son once, before she met Dan? I hope she beat Jiraiya senseless after that book was published. Never take up writing, Kashi!" Kakashi leant forward and kissed him, sneaking his tongue into the Chuunin's mouth when he gasped for breath, and starting to pump his length in lazy strokes while he gently rocked his hips forward at a matching pace. "Ruka, is that really what you should be thinking about right now?"

Under such a barrage of stimulation, it wasn't long before Iruka came, gripping Kakashi's hair so tightly that he pulled out a few strands. "Kakashi, stop that! It feels really weird! My toes are going numb! They're not supposed to do that, right?" Kakashi kept going. He'd experimented with this technique on himself enough times to know that, while it took a little getting used to, the very weak electricity in his chakra made for one hell of a ride.

"That's why we don't do this every time, Ruka. It takes a lot of concentration to keep the volts and amperage low enough for this. If we did this every single night, you'd probably get nerve damage, or cancer, and I'd probably keel over dead from exhaustion after a few weeks. This is a special treat, so just enjoy it. I'm going to make you cum like a fountain." Somehow Iruka was able to manage a weak glare and an eye-twitch, but Kakashi just thought it made him look cute, and nipped his throat for his trouble. He loved how Iruka tended to throw his head back, and expose his most vulnerable column of flesh. It was such a submissive gesture, seeing it made Kakashi want to dominate Iruka non-stop until dawn.

But Iruka's hands were anything but submissive, stroking, pulling, and squeezing in a demanding fashion. It was that combination of vulnerability and trust, mixed with confidence and assertiveness. That's what Kakashi had fallen in love with so many times over the years, over and over again, every time he saw it. He didn't slow down his thrusting until Iruka had cum five times, and he was sure the teacher didn't have a single drop left in him. The brunette was calling out in a hoarse, scratchy voice which just made Kakashi smirk with pride. He didn't even realise that he'd already cum three times himself. Iruka was almost unconscious by then though, so he sped up his pace, and let his fourth time be the last for the night.

With a thought and a quick hand-seal, he stopped emitting chakra. Kakashi dropped onto the bed next to Iruka, who'd been reduced to no more than a boneless puddle of bliss, and pulled his lover's body to him. Within seconds he was out like a light. Iruka didn't even have the strength to snuggle into his warmth, he felt weaker than a newborn kitten. He'd never felt so completely relaxed from head-to-toe in his entire life. He hadn't known it was even possible. He opened his eyes one last time to look at Kakashi's peaceful face, before he fell deeply asleep, smiling.

**(I am a spy page break. I saw you wet the bed last night)**

Three weeks after starting her new job at Wave's recently-built clinic, training staff and treating the most severe cases of illness or injury, Sakura got her first patient from Konoha. She'd almost done a double-take when she'd spotted the green spandex, not quite believing her eyes for a second. "Lee-kun! What are you doing here? You didn't say anything about passing by Wave country in your last letter. Weren't you just in Suna?" Lee opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get out a single word, he fell face-first. Sakura made it just in time to catch him before he hit the floor. That was when she saw the huge gash across his back, and the ominous blood trail leading out the door.

The next few hours were a blur of activity as she stitched her boyfriend back together for the thousandth time, gave him his hundredth blood transfusion, and used her chakra to make his horrific injury non-life-threatening. If she did too much it would run the risk of shortening his life-span. It was best to leave most of it to time and nature. It would be a few days before he woke up, and he'd have to spend a few weeks in the hospital, but that was nothing new for the only Konoha Jounin who couldn't use ninjutsu. As predicted, Lee returned to consciousness four days after making it to the hospital, while Sakura was changing his bandages. He smiled when he caught sight of the daffodil on his windowsill.

"When I heard that you'd transferred to Wave country for two years, I didn't think I'd be running into you this soon, Sakura-chan." Sakura gave his back a little smile. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing. Your last letter didn't mention anything about coming to Wave. What happened to your mission in Suna? That wound in your back wasn't more than two days old." Lee smiled at the daffodil. "While I was still in Suna, just after I finished my mission there, an A-rank mission came up which would bring whoever took it right near here. I wanted to see you, so I accepted the mission, but it managed to turn S-rank on me, towards the end. Sorry, I know you're always saying we have to stop meeting like this."

Sakura applied the last fastening to the bandage, and stepped back to admire her work. It was perfect as usual. "There are better ways to meet me than attempting solo A-rank missions, you know. Even shinobi are allowed to take vacations sometimes, Lee-kun." Lee chuckled, and winced as the muscles in his back pulled on his stitches.

"Now that I'm here, do I at least get to hear the unofficial details for this mission? If it was just about training staff, Tsunade-sama could've just as easily have sent over Ino-san. There are all sorts of rumours floating around among The 16. Only about half of us know anything for sure, but nobody's talking. I'm guessing it has something to do with why I saw Iruka-sensei cross-dressing on my way to the clinic." Sakura cringed, but quickly covered it with a fake smile. "Oh, so you've already met Namiko-chan then? Darn, I wanted to introduce you, and see your reaction. Oh well."

Lee turned to look at her then. He gave her a look which said 'Cut the act. I'm being completely serious right now, and you should be too.' It was impossible for her to try to pretend when he gave her that look. When had he learnt to make such an expression? It was funny, but she couldn't remember a time when he wasn't able to get her to be more honest with him by using those eyes. She sighed, and sat next to him on the bed, facing the door rather than him.


	29. I'll Be Your Family

**AN: Hello everyone! Sorry I missed my update yesterday, some unexpected plans came up. On the bright side, this means you'll only have to wait six days for Chapter 30, instead of seven. ;-)**

**I know I said last time that I'd be announcing star-winners this chapter, but I have some sad news. For the last few weeks my laptop has been warning me that my battery was going on the fritz. A couple of days ago, after having it for three years, it died once and for all. It won't charge, or function at all, so until I can get it replaced my laptop will be out of commission. Luckily I still have at least one more chapter in my e-mail account, since I've been sending it to my awesome beta wikedsinn, so it shouldn't affect future updates. If my battery still hasn't been replaced by then, I can type up fresh material on my home computer. I just have to invest in a crowbar so I can keep my Mum and big sister off it. ^.^**

**I love you guys very much, so please try to be patient with me until I can get things sorted, and please keep reviewing. Your reviews cheer me up more than I can imagine, even when they're short, or questions, or complaints. Hugs!**

**Lastly, just to be clear, the second part, after the page break, is sort of like a flashback. It's the beginning of the 'Naruto & Sasuke: Origins' ark which I had bouncing about my brain, making the backs of my eyeballs itchy until I typed it up, after Sakura mentioned it when she was talking with Lee. It's not a part of the current timeline, where Naruto's pregnant with triplets.**

"Yes, I'm here for the same reason Iruka-sensei is pretending to be his female cousin Namiko. To make a long story short, he accidentally got exposed to an obscure medicine, and now he's pregnant. He's dressing as a woman because he's going to have a baby-bump soon. In five more months, he and Kakashi-sensei are going to be fathers. Tsunade-shisho doesn't want the Council to find out about it. She's worried about what they might try to do if they found out." Lee nodded. It was strange, sure, but it didn't even rank in his top ten for the weirdest things he'd ever seen or heard about. "How was he exposed? Has anyone else been affected?"

Sakura closed her eyes, and finished her explanation with resignation. "The primary source of the medicine was discovered by two members of The 16, who became the secondary source in Konoha. Their negligence was responsible for Iruka-sensei's exposure. They also used the drug on themselves, successfully. Tsunade-shisho is dealing with them." Lee wasn't a genius, but he wasn't an idiot either. A medicine like that obviously wasn't made for heterosexual couples, and there were only two openly gay members of The 16, as far as he knew.

"Which one is having the baby? Is it Naruto-kun, or Sasuke-kun?" Sakura laughed sharply, but it sounded almost like a sob to his ears. "Shisho told me Naruto's carrying triplets. Trust that over-achieving idiot to find a way to give Sasuke children." Sakura sagged against Lee's side. He could feel her trembling. He sighed, but he didn't hug her like he wanted to.

"Even though we've been dating for the last five years, a small part of your heart was still waiting for him, right? Even though I pretended I didn't, I've always known. You thought he'd spend a few years with Naruto-kun, get back on his feet, then seek you out to have children and rebuild his clan. Now that he's found a way to have children with Naruto-kun though, that last shred of hope has been torn asunder. It might sound cruel to you, but I've always hoped this day would come. You finally have to let go. "

Sakura remembered the night Sasuke left Konoha. That time, she hadn't been enough to keep him from going. He'd left her behind without hesitation, because she couldn't be what he needed. Maybe she should have seen it then, but even Naruto wasn't able to drag him back. Then, three years later, she'd given up on Sasuke. She'd been prepared to kill him, and then herself, but she still wasn't strong enough. Only Naruto had kept Sasuke from killing her, but even after that, he'd still believed that he could bring Sasuke home some day. She should have realized it then, but somehow she still couldn't bring herself to let go.

She'd never forget the day, after the war was won, and rebuilding had just began, when Naruto appeared at the edge of Konoha, walking side-by-side with Sasuke. He'd finally done it. He was really bringing the last Uchiha home. As they'd walked through the village, everyone had paused to watch them pass. They'd left silence in their wake, it felt like the whole of Konoha was holding it's breathe. They'd come straight to her. Naruto was just smiling. It wasn't one of his bright grins, but it was the warmest, sunniest smile she'd ever seen on him.

Sasuke had spoken first. "I'm home, Sakura." She'd burst into tears, and hugged him so hard that she'd probably cracked one of his ribs, but he'd just stood there and accepted it. Even though he was back though, Sasuke's only place in the village was with his old team-mates. The other members of The 16 were still weary of him, and most of the villages still feared or hated him. Some of them still saw him as the enemy, and shunned him. There were quiet calls for him to have his eyes removed, so he would be less of a threat. Every mother who spotted him on the street hid her child behind her.

It seemed like the longer he stayed in Konoha, the more alone he felt. He'd become so withdrawn. She spent so many nights on rooftops, watching him from afar while he sat in the spot where his house had stood before Pein's attack, brooding sullenly. On all those long, quiet nights, she'd never approached him. She just didn't know what she could say, so she'd settled for just staying by his side. Perhaps that was when she should have given up, but she still clung to her feelings even then.

When they found Sasuke contemplating a tanto he'd gotten Kami only knows where, Naruto had decided that enough was enough, and dragged the Uchiha deep into the surrounding forests. In his distress, he'd run off too fast for her to follow. She never found out what they'd talked about, but they hadn't returned until noon the next day. They'd emerged from the forest, walking so close together, they were almost shoulder-to-shoulder.

Sasuke's expression had been so serene; she'd never seen him look like that before. When Naruto had spotted her, his whole face had turned scarlet, and he'd immediately dropped his gaze. He opened his mouth to try to say something, but for the first time in his life, words had failed him. Without a word, Sasuke had taken his hand. That was the only time in her whole life when she'd seen Sasuke really smile. It was small, but it was breathtaking in its warmth and sincerity. In that instant, she hadn't needed their words. She just knew.

Jealousy had swept through her, so potent that it shook her entire body, but she couldn't be angry, or hate Naruto. He'd found a way to make Sasuke content. How could she possibly hate the blonde for that, when all she'd ever wanted for the Uchiha was for him to find that kind of happiness? She'd startled them both when she'd congratulated them, and wished them happiness in a shaky voice. She'd made it halfway home before she'd broken down crying.

Still, even then, she hadn't lost her last strand of hope. She knew that Sasuke wanted to rebuild his clan, and part of that would involve creating Uchiha heirs. That was something she could do, and that Naruto couldn't. She'd thought that someday Sasuke would leave Naruto, and choose her after all. But no, Naruto had found a way to get himself pregnant. She should have known that if any man could find a way to do it, it would be the blonde. The kid had been a walking impossibility his entire life.

Sakura answered Lee in a whisper, silent tears coursing down her face. This was the first time she'd let herself cry since the day Sasuke had come within a hair's breadth of killing her. "It's even more painful now than when Sasuke-kun first left Konoha to join Orochimaru. Even in that bleak situation, there was the hope of getting him back someday, of saving him. But now, it's pretty much guaranteed that Sasuke-kun is going to spend the rest of his life with Naruto-kun. There's nothing left for me anymore. It's really painful."

Lee sighed heavily, and put an arm about her shoulders. "You know why he chose Naruto-kun, right? Why he probably would have stayed with him even if Naruto-kun hadn't found a way to get pregnant by him? It's not because you weren't good enough, Sakura-chan. You're just as good as Naruto-kun, in different ways. You just weren't the right fit for him. You couldn't make up for it where he was lacking. You couldn't balance him out like Naruto-kun does so effortlessly. You're an amazing person, Sakura-chan, but you weren't the one who completed him. There's no shame in that. It just means you can let him go now, and start looking for your own 'right fit'."

Sakura nodded subtly. "I know. I think I always knew, deep down. When they told me they'd become lovers, I didn't even think to doubt the truthfulness of it. I should've given up long ago. I just couldn't let myself admit it. Maybe that's why it hurts so much now. I'm sorry, Lee-kun. I shouldn't have agreed to start dating you while a part of me was still waiting for Sasuke-kun. But you know, I really did have feelings for you too that time. I still do." Lee smiled at her. "I know. That's why I accepted your invitation that time. It's why I always come back to you."

(I am a dwarf page break from the new Hobbit movie. My name is Brocktor.)

Naruto tore through the forest, not paying attention to where he was going. His mind was racing. What the hell was happening? For three years he'd dedicated his life to bringing Sasuke home. He'd fought a war, and a few times he'd fought Sasuke, but in all that time, even when every other person in the world had given up on him, Naruto had never stopped believing that one day, he'd be able to bring Sasuke home. It had taken everything he had, but he'd done it. He'd stood in front of the last living Uchiha, without a shred of chakra or stamina left, without a single weapon in his pouch, completely defenceless, and told him to make his choice.

He'd done it. Sasuke had chosen him, and come home. He'd kept all of his promises, to Sakura, to himself. He'd brought Sasuke home. And now Sasuke was just giving up? It made no sense! He couldn't understand ANYBODY thinking about taking their own life! What did something like that accomplish? He hadn't felt so upset in months. Even during the war, he'd been able to fight for what he believed in. With Sasuke, back then he'd understood what he needed. But how the hell was he supposed to understand THIS? He'd never felt so helpless before.

What if he hadn't found Sasuke staring at a blade? What if he'd found him with the blade already bloodied, held loosely in his limp, lifeless grasp? He could see it in his mind. He could hear Sakura's strangled shout. He imagined her running over to the body, her hands glowing with chakra which couldn't help the navy-haired man anymore. Holding his body, sobbing, getting covered in the Uchiha's blood. Naruto felt cold all over. He couldn't let that happen. No matter what it took, he couldn't watch Sasuke's life end that way.

They entered a small clearing, and Naruto stopped. He didn't loosen his vice-like grip on Sasuke's sleeve. The Uchiha didn't say anything, he just waited. His silence just fuelled Naruto's anger. He exploded at the pale teenager. "What the fuck are you thinking? Tell me!" Sasuke didn't even make the effort to glare. That, more than anything else, told Naruto just how bad the situation was. "I don't belong here, Naruto. I don't belong anywhere anymore." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yes you do, Sasuke. Konoha is your home. It always has been, and always will be."

Sasuke's expression still didn't change. "Nobody wants me here except for you and Sakura. It was a mistake for me to come back here." Naruto looked at him with a genuinely confused expression. "What the fuck are you talking about? You're Konoha's precious Uchiha, the genius Sharingan Prince!" Sasuke snorted with dark humour. "I'm not a child with a fanclub anymore, Naruto. I'm not that tragic, pitied little boy. I'm the monster who killed Orochimaru, and took the Raikage's arm at the Kage summit. I'm the beast who came within half an inch of killing Sakura. That's who the villagers of Konoha see when they look at me now."

Naruto's eyes burned with molten fury. "That's what this is about? Poor little Sasuke wants to die because the villagers all look at him like he's a monster? You want to talk about getting treated like a demon? Sasuke, I had to put up with their crap every single day from the night I was born, and nobody ever walked in on me sitting in the dark, staring at a Tanto with a blank face! I lived with it for twelve years, and you're telling me you can't deal with it after just three months? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Sasuke seethed at the blonde, but Naruto was just happy to see some life back in his eyes. When he spoke, his words were like venom. "I'm not you, Naruto. People aren't going to forgive me after a few years of trying really hard to earn their acknowledgment. Nobody is ever going to elect me for Hokage. I'm always going to be a monster in their eyes, and how can I change their minds when even I think they're right? I'm everything they think I am, and worse. I could kill ALL of them, without even breaking a sweat. Without even flinching. I don't want to live like this. I've been alone for too long, Naruto. I'm sick of it. I don't want to be alone anymore."

Naruto's eyes levelled with conviction. "What do you want me to say, Sasuke? I can't bring back Itachi. I can't replace your brother. But, if you think you're alone, then you're wrong. You have me. You always have, as your rival, and your friend. You have Sakura, too. She would be by your side in a second, if you told her there was a place for her there." Sasuke looked away from him. "I don't want Sakura that way. I feel nothing for her." Naruto nodded his acknowledgement. "Fine. What DO you want then? Can't having the two of us be enough for you?"

Sasuke raised his voice for the first time since they'd entered the forest. "It's NOT enough! It can never be enough! I want a family, but I'm never going to have that again! Itachi is dead!" Naruto stepped into Sasuke's space, until he was so close, they were almost touching. "You want a family? Fine, then I'll be your family, and you can be mine." Sasuke was too confused to react when Naruto grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to him, pressing his pink lips to the shocked Uchiha's mouth. Naruto kissed him gently but confidently, without any doubt or hesitation showing through. The only sound Sasuke could make was a startled "Mmph!".


	30. A Gold Thread In The Woods

**AN: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update. Between Christmas chaos and technical difficulties, I got a bit behind. To make up for it, I'm giving you an extra-long Christmas & New Year Chapter Special, with some nommy SasuNaru smut. Sweet but sexy, that's just how I roll. ;-) My beta, the incredibly awesome wikedsinn, tells me that her magic ipod recommended 'Where we used to play' by AFI, from their album 'Crash Love', for this chapter. I send her my thanks once again, this chapter never would have been this great without her.**

**I'm also giving out those stars I promised everyone! l****ittlewolfwindspeaker (15 reviews) is the first of my reviewers to earn a platinum star! She's amazing! Ultimashadow (8 reviews) and GoAnime (11 reviews) have earned gold stars! Congratulations! xpegasus (5 reviews) has earned her silver star! Keep up the good work, everyone! I'd also like to say a warm hello to five first-time reviewers: mochiusagi, tsweet24, duhorcommonsense, Jax, and Megahit1324. Welcome to Tea of Fate, I really hope you enjoy my story, and keep reviewing. There's nothing better to keep me happy and typing. ^.^**

**This story now has over 100 followers! Thank you so much everybody, that's the best Christmas present you possibly could have given me! I'd like to send my best wishes to all of my readers these holidays. Whatever your religion, whatever your beliefs, I hope you enjoy your special days with your friends and families. This season is all about the love! **

Naruto tore through the forest, not paying attention to where he was going. His mind was racing. What the hell was happening? For three years he'd dedicated his life to bringing Sasuke home. He'd fought a war, and a few times he'd fought Sasuke, but in all that time, even when every other person in the world had given up on him, Naruto had never stopped believing that one day, he'd be able to bring Sasuke home. It had taken everything he had, but he'd done it. He'd stood in front of the last living Uchiha, without a shred of chakra or stamina left, without a single weapon in his pouch, completely defenceless, and told him to make his choice.

He'd done it. Sasuke had chosen him, and come home. He'd kept all of his promises, to Sakura, to himself. He'd brought Sasuke home. And now Sasuke was just giving up? It made no sense! He couldn't understand ANYBODY thinking about taking their own life! What did something like that accomplish? He hadn't felt so upset in months. Even during the war, he'd been able to fight for what he believed in. With Sasuke, back then he'd understood what he needed. But how the hell was he supposed to understand THIS? He'd never felt so helpless before.

He'd understood for a very long time, since before that day on the bridge where Danzo had died. He'd discovered it during his training at Mount Myouboku. The bond between him and Sasuke was something far stronger than that of friends, or rivals, or even brothers. They were connected by more than just a red string of fate. There was a thread of pure gold which wound around them both, which tangled through their clothes and hair, making itself impossible to remove. It was a thread of love. They were destined for each other, to spend their lives together as partners, just like a married couple.

He hadn't been upset or taken aback by the revelation. It was almost as though it was just confirming a suspicion he'd held in the back of his mind for a very long time. He'd never said anything to Sasuke about it. He didn't think it was something Sasuke would be able to easily accept. With everything the Uchiha had been through, he didn't think he was ready to start a relationship with someone anyway, let alone with another young man. Had that been a mistake on his part? Should he have talked to Sasuke about it after all?

What if he hadn't found Sasuke staring at a blade? What if he'd found him with the blade already bloodied, held loosely in his limp, lifeless grasp? He could see it in his mind. He could hear Sakura's strangled shout. He imagined her running over to the body, her hands glowing with chakra which couldn't help the navy-haired man anymore. Holding his body, sobbing, getting covered in the Uchiha's blood. Naruto felt cold all over. He couldn't let that happen. No matter what it took, he couldn't watch Sasuke's life end that way.

They entered a small clearing, and Naruto stopped. He didn't loosen his vice-like grip on Sasuke's sleeve. The Uchiha didn't say anything, he just waited. His silence just fuelled Naruto's anger. He exploded at the pale teenager. "What the fuck are you thinking? Tell me!" Sasuke didn't even make the effort to glare. That, more than anything else, told Naruto just how bad the situation was. "I don't belong here, Naruto. I don't belong anywhere anymore." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yes you do, Sasuke. Konoha is your home. It always has been, and always will be."

Sasuke's expression still didn't change. "Nobody wants me here except for you and Sakura. It was a mistake for me to come back here." Naruto looked at him with a genuinely confused expression. "What the fuck are you talking about? You're Konoha's precious Uchiha, the genius Sharingan Prince!" Sasuke snorted with dark humour. "I'm not a child with a fanclub anymore, Naruto. I'm not that tragic, pitied little boy. I'm the monster who killed Orochimaru, and took the Raikage's arm at the Kage summit. I'm the beast who came within half an inch of killing Sakura. That's who the villagers of Konoha see when they look at me now."

Naruto's eyes burned with molten fury. "That's what this is about? Poor little Sasuke wants to die because the villagers all look at him like he's a monster? You want to talk about getting treated like a demon? Sasuke, I had to put up with their crap every single day from the night I was born, and nobody ever walked in on me sitting in the dark, staring at a Tanto with a blank face! I lived with it for twelve years, and you're telling me you can't deal with it after just three months? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Sasuke seethed at the blonde. Naruto was probably the only person in the world who could have gotten a reaction from him at that point. His biggest rival was the one person who could make him feel weak, or inferior, and make him feel like he had to defend his choices. Naruto knew he was pissing Sasuke off, but the blonde was just happy to see some life back in his eyes.

When Sasuke spoke, his words were like venom. "I'm not you, Naruto. People aren't going to forgive me after a few years of trying really hard to earn their acknowledgment. Nobody is ever going to elect me for Hokage. I'm always going to be a monster in their eyes, and how can I change their minds when even I think they're right? I'm everything they think I am, and worse. I could kill ALL of them, without even breaking a sweat. Without even flinching.

They were always wrong about you Naruto, you weren't Kuruma. You were an innocent child, mischievous perhaps, but compassionate. You were never a threat to them, or the one to blame for the people who died when Madarame set Kyuubi on Konoha. But they SHOULD be scared of ME, and that's what hurts more than anything else. I'm just a weapon, Naruto. A traitor and an avenger with loyalties to none but the dead. I don't want to live like this. I've been alone for too long, Naruto. I'm sick of it. I don't want to be alone anymore."

Naruto's eyes levelled with conviction. "What do you want me to say, Sasuke? I can't bring back Itachi. I can't replace your brother. But, if you think you're alone, then you're wrong. You have me. You always have, as your rival, and your friend. You have Sakura, too. She would be by your side in a second, if you told her there was a place for her there." Throwing Sasuke at Sakura like that made Naruto's chest tighten painfully, but Sakura was his friend. He'd made her a promise. And he'd be fooling himself to think that Sasuke could ever be his, no matter how strong their bond was. If Sasuke needed to be with Sakura, then he would support their relationship. Sometimes that was what loving someone really meant.

Sasuke looked away from him. "I don't want Sakura that way. I feel nothing for her." Naruto nodded his acknowledgement, secretly relieved, but still worried. "Fine. What DO you want then? Can't having the two of us be enough for you until the others have come around to trusting you again?" Sasuke raised his voice for the first time since they'd entered the forest. For so many years he'd denied himself the friendship and companionship of everyone around him, he'd cut himself off and let ice accumulate in his heart, readying himself for his role as an avenger even as the cold stabbed at him.

Now that he was no longer an avenger, he had finally started to feel the pain. And now, when he had nothing left, all he could do was let that pain flow out of him like poison, as his heart thawed, and try to heal. "It's NOT enough! It can never be enough! I want a family, but I'm never going to have that again! Itachi is dead! I'm the last Uchiha! And the only person in all the five nations who might ever want to start a new family with me is the one person I'm incapable of loving! And even if I could find someone willing, someone I could love… Nobody deserves the tainted love of a beast like me!"

Naruto stepped into Sasuke's space, until he was so close, they were almost touching. "You want a family? Fine, then I'll be your family, and you can be mine." Sasuke was too confused to react when Naruto grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to him, pressing his pink lips to the shocked Uchiha's mouth. Naruto kissed him gently but confidently, without any doubt or hesitation showing through. The only sound Sasuke could make was a startled "Mmph!".

Naruto pulled away after a while, but he didn't move his hand from where he'd buried it in Sasuke's thick blue hair. Pale blue eyes watched the Uchiha for his reaction. "Naruto, what are you doing?" Sasuke's voice sounded so uncertain and insecure. He hadn't felt so vulnerable and out of sorts since the night of the Uchiha massacre. His expression seemed so childlike just then, it felt so out of place coming from the infamous ex-Missing Nin. Naruto gave him a little smirk. "I already told you, Teme. If you want a family, then I'll be your family. Having your love would be no problem for me. What do you say?" Sasuke opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. All he managed was a whimper.

Naruto's eyes softened, and he pulled the Uchiha in for another kiss, slow and gentle, just like the first one. He wrapped his left arm around the pale man, hugging his lean body to his own. Sasuke hesitated, but he slowly relaxed into the blonde's warmth. After a moment, he clumsily tried to return the kisses, copying what Naruto had been doing to him. After several minutes they came up for air. "Are you… Are you sure this is okay? Do you really want to do this with me, Dobe?" Naruto didn't say anything. He just smiled softly, and unzipped his tracksuit jacket, dragging it off his arms, and tossing it aside.

The next time they kissed, he slipped a hand inside the white kimono Sasuke still wore. The pale teenager flinched, startled, but soon he was pressing into that warm hand, and reaching hesitant fingers of his own to the hem of Naruto's black wife-beater. The blonde hummed in approval, smiling against the Uchiha's lips, and slipping Sasuke's kimono from his shoulders. Sasuke pulled Naruto's shirt up, tugging at it. After a moment Naruto got the hint, and pulled back to let him lift the garment over his head. His hands went to the big purple cord around Sasuke's waist, effortlessly untying the huge bow, and letting it drop to the grassy forest floor.

Sasuke blushed, a pale pink tint appearing on his porcelain cheeks. He was surprised and nervous. "Naruto…" The blonde stroked the dark blue hair at the side of his head in a soothing gesture. "I meant it, Sasuke. I want us to be a family. That means doing this, too. It's okay. I'm not going to change my mind, or regret anything. I want this, Sasuke. I want you. You should know better than anyone that I'll never give up on you." Sasuke toed off his sandals, stepped out of his clothes, and moved back into Naruto's arms. He hesitantly kissed the blonde. "I've never done anything like this before." Naruto gave him a fox grin. "Neither have I Teme, but I'm looking forward to practicing."

Sasuke huffed softly, reproachful. "Dobe…" It was extremely rare for the Uchiha to show any vulnerability or uncertainty. Now that he had, he needed more from Naruto than just a blithe deflection. Naruto understood that. His expression softened. "I know, Teme. It's okay, there's no rush. We'll take it slow for now. How does that sound?"

Sasuke gave a small Uchiha smirk, and slid his hands down Naruto's bare sides. He pushed down the elastic waistband of Naruto's tracksuit pants, until his hands rested on naked hipbones, the tips of his fingers stroking the base of the blonde's spine. The gesture made Naruto shiver and lick his lips involuntarily, like a fox which had been stroked at the base of his tail. "Slow sounds good, Naruto."

The blonde nuzzled at the side of Sasuke's neck, nipping at it, and lathing the reddening skin with his moist tongue. "I asked Pervy Sage about it once. We had a long, really embarrassing conversation about it, but he explained it all nice and simply for me, and I paid attention because I knew it was stuff I'd need to know one day. The advice I remembered the best though, was when he told me that when the time came, my body would know what to do. He said I should just trust my body, and do whatever felt right. Why don't you give that a try, Teme? Stop thinking so much, let your body take over."

Sasuke nodded, backed Naruto against a tree, and nudged a knee between the blonde's legs. He pressed his pale thigh against the hard bulge he felt there. "Alright then. Right now, my body is telling me that you're wearing too much clothing." Naruto laughed, and bucked against the Uchiha's leg, finding a hardness which mirrored his own. "My body couldn't agree with you more, Teme." Naruto toed off his sandals, then pushed his tracksuit pants and boxers down in one move, kicked them off, and threw them to the side. When he was done, and stood completely naked before the Uchiha, Naruto slid down the tree, scratching his bare back on the rough bark.

He didn't stop until he was sitting on the broad tangle of roots at the base of the tree, forcing Sasuke to take a half-step back. The blonde untied Sasuke's fundoshi, and tossed it to the side. The Uchiha blushed bright pink, but he didn't protest or shy away. He just stood, watching Naruto as the blonde contemplated the swollen length in front of him. Naruto sniffed the hard flesh, then gave the shaft a tentative lick.

Sasuke stared at him, fascinated. "What does it taste like, Dobe?" Naruto tilted his head, like a curious fox kit. The Uchiha thought it was absolutely adorable. "Hmmm… It's salty. Almost like instant pork ramen's miso soup. It's not bad." Sasuke snorted in amusement. "I should have known. Everything tastes like ramen to you, Dobe. You've been eating that rubbish for so long that your tongue can't recognise anything else anymore." Naruto grinned up at him, fire and challenge in his eyes. "You want to make a bet on that, Teme?"

A shiver of thrill ran through Sasuke, from top to toe. He loved it when Naruto looked at him with those eyes. "Alright, Dobe. I'm not as bad as Tsunade, but I do enjoy taking a gamble on occasion. Name your terms." Naruto smirked, and took on a thoughtful expression. "Hmmm… How about this… I'll taste every last inch of your skin before morning, and if I can't think of any description for the flavour except something involving ramen, you win. If I find another way to describe it, you lose."

Sasuke nodded his acquiescence. "The prizes?" Naruto nodded. He'd already thought of that too. "If you win, you can do whatever you want to me for the next three days. If you lose, I get five trump cards which I can use any time we're having sex. When I choose to use one, you'd either have to do something I suggest, or let me do something of my choice. How does that sound?" Sasuke thought about it for a minute. Whenever he bet against the blond Jinchuuriki, he always lost. He'd always underestimated the determined idiot. With those terms and rewards though, even if he lost, he wouldn't be too upset about it. "I accept your terms, Dobe. If you're really going to taste my whole body by dawn, you'd best get started."

Naruto needed no further prompting. He pounced on the startled Uchiha, knocking them both to the ground, and proceeded to kiss, nibble, lick, nip, and suck on every inch of bare flesh he could find, starting with the Uchiha's chest. Sasuke could only take the pleasurable torment for so long before his body began to demand release. The Uchiha grabbed Naruto's shoulders and flipped them, so he was straddling the blonde. He was panting heavily, and his pale skin was flushed with both pleasure, and embarrassment at the sensual sounds he'd been involuntarily making. "I need more, Dobe. I need you." Naruto smiled gently at him. "It's okay, Teme. Just do whatever feels right."

He didn't have to tell Sasuke twice. The blue-haired teenager buried his face against Naruto's tanned neck, nuzzling at the skin, instinctively seeking out the blonde's pulse. He quickly found it, and started mercilessly lavishing attention on it, giving it the same treatment Naruto had been giving his chest. The blonde's cries and moans were like music to his ears. He still wasn't satisfied though. He rested his entire body flush against the toned blonde, entwining their legs, and thrusting shallowly against his narrow hips. The friction felt good, but it still wasn't enough.

Sasuke wasn't completely clueless about sex. He'd overheard crude men talking about it before. He knew that when it was between a man and a woman, the man inserted his erection inside a hole which the woman had between her legs. That made sense to him now. A man could probably generate plenty of delicious friction that way. But Naruto had nothing for the Uchiha to bury himself in… or did he? Sasuke suddenly found himself wishing that his sexual education wasn't quite so lacking. Was that really what gay men did? Theoretically it made sense to the Uchiha, but would it make as much sense to Naruto in practice? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Naruto, there's something I'd like to try. I'm not sure… It might not work. And it might hurt. Is it alright with you if I still try it?" Naruto looked a little apprehensive, but he didn't object. "Just be careful, Teme. Take it slow." Sasuke nodded his acknowledgement. Naruto was giving him a wonderful gift, an offer to be his family. It was a gift which meant that he would never have to feel alone again, or like he had nowhere to belong. It was something very precious, and he couldn't repay that by hurting the blonde.

He would be very careful. He was going to make full use of every last sordid thing he'd ever overheard in the countless sleazy bars he'd stopped to drink or eat in when he'd been a Missing Nin. Thank Kami for his perfect memory. Thanks to that, he knew that the first time was usually painful because the hole was too tight, and that fingering the hole for a while first would help it loosen up, and lubrication was also very helpful. He also knew that, when there was a lack of proper lube, spit could be used as a basic substitute.

At the time, whenever he'd overheard such conversations he'd kept his face blank, and been silently mortified, wishing he could just kill those revolting men, and keep his blissful ignorance just a little longer, but right now he felt a little grateful. After all, where else could he have gotten that education from? Orochimaru? Madara? The thought of having to listen to either of those two talking about sex was almost enough to get him turned off. He'd take the sleazy pubs over them any day. At least in the bars he could be anonymous. That made it a little less awkward somehow.

With a plan formed, Sasuke brought two of his fingers to his lips, and proceeded to liberally coat them in saliva with his tongue, blushing furiously, and very glad that Naruto couldn't see his face since it was still buried in the blonde's neck. He kept Naruto distracted with his other hand, stroking and kneading his almost feverish flesh. When his fingers were ready, he moved his right hand down Naruto's side, caressing the skin with his thumb, until it reached just below the blonde's ass. He moved his left hand to the same spot on Naruto's other thigh, and used his considerable strength to lift and spread the blonde's legs. Naruto let out a startled squeak, followed by a nervous whimper.

Sasuke hesitated, realizing that he'd need to reassure the blonde, and calm his nerves, before he proceeded. He kissed the inner side of Naruto's left knee, just a gentle press of his soft lips, and slowly trailed up his tanned thigh. Naruto slowly relaxed, and stopped tilting his knees towards each other. He even brought his legs up, stroking Sasuke's lean back with his heels and ankles, over the white kimono which Sasuke still wore. The blonde blinked in surprise when the Uchiha started to purr like a satisfied cat. He hadn't known that Sasuke could do that. He really liked it.

Naruto hissed when Sasuke stroked his entrance, and shivered. The cold night air had made the Uchiha's slick finger cool to the touch. Sasuke wasn't deterred though, when he set a goal for himself he wouldn't stop until he'd seen it through. He slowly massaged the ring of muscle, letting his fingers warm against Naruto's skin. When the moisture on his digits started to dry, he simply added more. When Naruto was relaxed once more, Sasuke inserted the first digit.

He slowly slipped the tip of his index finger inside the tense ring of muscles, eliciting a loud whimper from Naruto. He pushed it in and out, only moving it a few millimetres each time, waiting patiently for the muscles to loosen up. Although by this point every cell in his body was screaming at him to just fuck the teen into the ground for the next six hours or so like some kind of wild beast, he fought down those urges and took his time preparing his best friend. He wanted Naruto's first time to be as pleasurable as possible. Five minutes later he was finally able to add the second finger, and he started stroking the soft inner walls, scissoring his fingers, and working them as deep into the blonde as they could go.

It was a laborious process, but the Uchiha's patience was rewarded when he curled his fingers slightly and Naruto arched off the ground with a scream, telling him that he'd found some sort of sweet spot. For a brief moment he was worried that Naruto's shout had been from pain rather than pleasure, but the blonde clarified the situation for him by burying a hand in the dark blue tresses at the back of his neck, and demanding more. Soon after that, Sasuke was adding the third and final finger. He kept toying with the blonde's prostate, bringing the teen's erection back to life.

His work complete, Sasuke spat into his hand, and quickly coated his leaking cock before he positioned it at the blonde's virgin entrance. Looking into Naruto's sky-blue eyes, he was awed by the absolute trust he saw in them, and suddenly he was happier than ever that he'd taken his time preparing the teen. He wouldn't be the only one enjoying this. He slowly pushed into the toned blonde, not stopping until he was all the way in. Naruto moaned loudly at the almost painful sensation, instinctively clamping down on the intrusion. His blue-haired partner tensed at the excessive pressure, and his hips jerked forward involuntarily, burying him a couple of centimetres deeper.

Naruto gasped, and desperately gripped one of the arms Sasuke was holding himself up with. "No! Don't move!" Sasuke leaned forward to gently kiss his jaw. "Sorry, Dobe. I didn't mean to. You're just so tight… Let me know when you're ready. I'll wait until then." The young blonde nodded, panting and gasping for breath. Naruto felt like he was trying to breathe through a pillow, the air just wasn't reaching his lungs. If he didn't calm down he'd black out, and that was the last thing he wanted.

While Sasuke kept kissing his jaw, throat, neck, and shoulder, the blonde tried to relax and slow his breathing down. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually it began to work. He synced his breaths with Sasuke's, breathing slowly and deeply. As their rhythms matched up, his whole body relaxed. He brought his other hand up to tenderly cup Sasuke's face, succeeding in getting his attention. "You can move now. Just take it easy, Teme."

Sasuke smiled at him reassuringly. "Of course, Dobe. I'll go as slowly as you like." True to his word, the Uchiha began gently thrusting at a tortuously slow pace, giving the blonde plenty of time to adjust to the sensation. He angled his thrusts slightly differently each time, until finally he hit Naruto's sweet-spot dead-on. The blonde let out a pleasured wail, his walls clenching flutteringly around Sasuke's cock. "There! Sasuke, do that again!" The pale teenager was happy to comply, picking up his pace with a guttural moan.

Naruto instinctively wrapped his tanned legs around the pale Uchiha's waist, spreading his legs a little wider. Although he didn't understand why, he loved the contrast of Sasuke's pale, flushed skin against the warm brown tone of his own flesh. The new angle of his hips made every thrust feel even better. There was just something so comforting and reassuring in having Sasuke's weight held above him, those pale, firm hips against his bronzed, yielding ass, rocking his entire body down and back against the soft earth with each thrust, wringing gasping cries from him.

Although the Uchiha was too far gone to form words, let alone sentences, Naruto could hear him clearly. Sasuke was acknowledging and accepting him, and committing to him, and that, more than anything else, was driving him wild. Sasuke quickly had them both chasing their release, gradually losing his rhythm and co-ordination, but making up for it with the increasing power of his thrusts, until he was wildly pounding into the blonde the way he'd been wanting to do for the last forty minutes.

Naruto had no complaints, yowling and keening in ecstasy, until finally he couldn't take the pleasure anymore. He came with such force that his vision went completely white, and all he could feel was Sasuke thrusting as deeply as he could one last time, before tensing up with a shout and filling the blonde's insides with hot fluids. Sasuke flopped down onto the ground next to him, and pulled him to lie on his chest, but Naruto was having none of it. He only lay still long enough to catch his breath. "You just made me cum hard enough to pass out for a second. Sasuke, do you seriously think I'm going to let you fall asleep before I've had the chance to do the same? What am I, a girl?"

Sasuke blinked at the blonde a few times, shocked speechless, but he didn't intervene when Naruto began kissing his way down his mouth, neck and torso, sliding himself back until he was crouching on his knees, straddling the Uchiha's calves, and draping his toned torso over his thighs. Sasuke buried his pale right hand in Naruto's silky hair, stroking and massaging the blonde's scalp. Before Naruto began with his tongue's ministrations, he nuzzled the pale teen's sensitive inner thighs. They were warm and soft, if a little sticky. He liked the way they felt against his cheeks.

With a happy smile, Naruto set to work, licking, nibbling, sucking, and teasing Sasuke with his mouth. When the Uchiha instinctively thrust into the blonde's throat he almost gagged, so after that he was sure to hold Sasuke's hips down with his entire torso's weight, but he wasn't quite heavy enough to completely stop the powerful Sannin. He soon grew accustomed to the slow, shallow thrusts which Sasuke was still capable of.

What Naruto lacked in experience and technique he made up for with his enthusiasm and willingness to experiment. He gave attention to all of Sasuke's sensitive areas, playing with his inner thighs, moving on to his balls, then his cock. Naruto started at the base and leisurely made his way up to the tip, while his hands slipped around from their positions on Sasuke's hips, and came into play.

This gave Sasuke free rein to thrust up against his face, but the Uchiha thoughtfully fought to suppress the urge, leaving his thrusts sporadic, shallow and desperate. He mashed his hips against the grass in his frustration, and silently begged his toned blonde for more. His quiet whimpers were the only sign of his desperation. He was still clinging to his pride with all of his remaining strength.

While Naruto's lips, tongue and teeth worked on Sasuke's already fully erect cock, his slender fingers massaged his thighs, balls, and perineum, eliciting deliciously elusive sounds from Sasuke's mouth. While the teen did his best to keep a stoic expression, every inch of his skin was flushed with passion and shiny with a thin sheen of sweat. He was unable to stifle his gasps and shudders of pleasure, clenching his hand almost painfully in Naruto's hair each time. When the blonde gave his perineum a particularly firm prod, he cried out at the sensation. "Aaah! Don't! It's too much, I'll cum!" Naruto smiled up at him mischievously. "That's sort of the point, isn't it? Cum if you want to, Sasuke. We've got all night, after all."

The blonde gave the tip of Sasuke's cock a devilishly powerful suck before taking as much of him into his mouth as he was able to, fighting back his gag reflex to fit the extensive length down his throat. He was going completely on instinct, and memorizing everything which pulled strong reactions from Sasuke. He couldn't help but hum with satisfaction as the Uchiha's cries of ecstasy reached his ears, signalling the total abandonment of his pride. The vibrations were the last straw for Sasuke, who lost all control and came down the back of Naruto's throat. Naruto diligently swallowed down the hot, thick cum, sucking noisily until there was nothing left, drawing out Sasuke's climax.

Sasuke threw his head back and screamed as his orgasm hit him, fire and pleasure racing through his veins, his whole body shuddering uncontrollably. It was impossible for him to stop his hips from plunging forward one last time and thrusting his cock against the back of Naruto's throat as he came. He lay panting on the ground afterwards, hopelessly out of breath, while his new family sat back on his haunches and licked his lips. "Mmmm… I've never had dessert this late at night before. If you're not careful you'll spoil me."

Sasuke glared sullenly at the playful young blonde. "Oi! What were you planning to do if someone overheard us, and came to investigate?" Naruto just shrugged. "You didn't seem to be too worried about that when I was the one doing the screaming, Teme." Sasuke flushed bright red, and scowled darkly. Naruto chuckled at his expression, before climbing up his lean body, and pressing his lips to Sasuke's. "What's wrong, Teme? Did you forget about our bet? I still mean to go through with that, you know. There's still an hour or two before dawn."

An hour and a half later, Naruto won their bet by declaring that Sasuke's cum tasted like olives, a revelation which had caused Sasuke to choke on nothing and have a lengthy coughing fit. Afterwards, Sasuke lay on the dew-covered grass, too breathless and exhausted to talk. He just waited for Naruto to curl up with his blonde head on his lean shoulder, gently kissed the top of his head, pulled Naruto's tracksuit top over the both of them, and surrendered to his need for sleep. For the first time in years, he fell asleep with a smile on his lips.


End file.
